


Rolling Girl.

by B4kedp0tato



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crushes, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Male-Female Friendship, Mi-simp-ma, Ryuji being Ryuji, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 164,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28674981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B4kedp0tato/pseuds/B4kedp0tato
Summary: Basically a retelling of Persona 5 Royal, with a Female Protagonist, told through the eyes on the ones closest to her.Female Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji is the end game goal here, but be prepared for a slow burn and maybe some other side interests along the road.As of Chapter 20 we have a beautiful wonderful Beta Reader! Thank you Anon!Warnings for : Talk of Sexual Assault. Descriptions of Sexual Assault. Talk of Suicide. Suicidal ideation. Attempted Suicide. Talks and Descriptions of verbal and emotional abuse.-*Currently just past the Madarame Palace*------------------------------------Sojiro really just should have hung up when he had gotten the call. He already had one kid to look after, one he actually choose to take care of, and have in his life. He didn't need another. Let alone one with such a coloured history."Compensated Dating, Underage Prostitution, Assault, Resisting an Officer."What a mess he'd gotten himself into.Sheesh, he really should have just hung up.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Kitagawa Yusuke, Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Persona 5 Protagonist, Kurusu Akira & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 169
Kudos: 170





	1. Chapter 1: Sojiro

Chapter one: Sojiro

Things were business as usual at LeBlanc, so Sojiro really shouldn't complain. The couple in the middle booth had both finished their cups ages ago, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them to leave. They were watching the News on TV and talking as if this was their living room. 

And wasn't that the atmosphere he'd strived for when he'd started this place? To make a comfortable place for people?

Still though, he wished they'd at least order another round. Could it kill them to order some curry maybe?

He ignored their banter, choosing to focus on his Crossword instead. He was about half way done now, just struggling on some of the more medium length words.

The door jingles, but there was no greeting, so Sojiro just assumed it to be the mailman, dropping off whatever junk mail it was today on the counter and leaving just as fast.

He sighed and erased a box that had the wrong kanji in it, grumbling to himself. "Down is...the name of a shellfish used in pearl farming."

He felt like he should know this. Why couldn't he remember this? Ugh he really was getting old.

A movement out of the corner of his eye and the shuffle of feet on tile caught his attention. He looked up at the new comer, lingering silently in his entryway.

"Oh that's right," He straightened up and set his Crossword and his pencil aside, "They did say that was today."

Komoya, the elderly man, stood up, his wife, Tetsuna, following his lead. "We'll be going now. The payments on the table." He'd left a small pile of what looked like exact change between the two cups of coffee. Typical.

"Thanks for coming." His tone was maybe a little more clipped than he'd normally like it to be, but shit was he feeling old. He'd even managed to forget about this damn troublemaker.

Komoya-san smiled and continued, oblivious of the tense mood around him. "This place is in the back alley, so there's no worries of a car crashing in here."

"A what now?" Was Komoya-san alright? Sojiro didn't feel so old now, if Komoya-san was rambling on about nonsense.

"There's been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here." He gestured towards the TV. It was playing a commercial for some Idol sponsored pop drink or another.

"It's none of my concern." He didn't have time to be placating old fools, not when this old fool had to take care of a stupid deal he'd made.

Komoya-san laughed a little and he and his wife left, promising to be back soon.

Once the bells to the store jingles again, and it was clear they would be out of ear shot, Sojiro sighed heavily to himself.

"Four hours for just a single cup of joe." He shook his head in disbelief. The nerve of some people.

He turned towards the uniform clad student, holding the small blue sports bag in front of her like a shield.

"So, You're Kurusu Akiko?"

She nodded her head in affirmation and bowed deeply at the waist. Her messy black hair falling over her shoulder and into her face as she did. It was soft, and only after having a couple months of Futuba-training did he even hear her mumble.

"Please take care of me."

"....Uh-huh." He couldn't stop the disbelief from filtering into his tone. This? This was the delinquent punk? No way. Girl had a pretty solid record and not on any kind of light charges, he'd seen the file. Did she really think she could play the fool of him?

"I'm Sakura Sojiro. You'll be in my custody for the next year."

She finally straightened up from her bow and he got a good look at her. She was average height, he supposed, taller than Futaba, but shorter than himself. She wore her new school uniform, black blazer with a white undershirt underneath. Her plaid printed skirt came to her mid thigh, the rest of her legs covered by thick black tights. She was even wearing her uniform shoes.

Her hair was a mess, he couldn't help but smirk when he took it all in, half over her shoulder from her bow earlier and twisting and waving every which way. Her bangs were in her face, obstructing whatever her large silver framed glasses didn't. It was hard to tell because of the light reflecting off her glasses, but she has this look in his eyes that didn't sit well with him, and he just couldn't explain it.

"I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh?"

Akiko remained silent, refusing to meet his gaze. She lowered her head a little, wordlessly accepting his jibes at her presumed character.

"So, have you been told? A customer of mine and your family know each other and-"

Sojiro couldn't help but notice the way she flinched at the mention of her family, her face twisting into...some emotion before sliding back into the same neutral gaze she's had since she entered.

"Well...not that it matters..." He trailed off awkwardly before clearing his throat. "Here. Follow me."

He turned and headed towards the back of the store, hearing her uniform shoes click on the floor behind him.

He made his way past the bathroom, up the stairs and into the attic turned storage area. Looking at it now, at the piles of old moldy books, and literal bags of garbage, he almost felt bad for not finding a way to accommodate her in his house, but this was for the best.

He couldn't bring someone like her into his house when he was only just barely making progress with Futaba, a child he'd actually, willingly, volunteered to take care of, adopt even. There was no way he was going to let some troublesome punk get in the way of his child's safety.

"This is your room." He announced, gesturing around. 

"I left you sheets for your bed, over there." He hitched a thumb towards the bed in question, a futon laid across three large cardboard boxes, with what inside he couldn't even remember at this point. God, when was the last time he'd cleaned up here? He could see the dust on the floor shift and settle with his footsteps, almost like a thin layer of snow.

She slowly gazed around the room, looking uncertain.

"You wanna say something, spit it out." Sojiro cringed at his own tone, watching Akiko flinch and clutch her bag tighter just reminded him too much of his adopted daughter at home.

"I-....it's big." She settled on, after a small moment of hesitation.

Sojiro narrowed his eyes at her, but ultimately dismissed the white lie. At least she knew not to make trouble for herself.

"It's up to you to clean up the rest, you got that? Cleaning supplies is in the bathroom downstairs." She nodded quickly, keeping her head down.

"You'll be alone here after I lock up each day. Don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

"I understand." Akiko mumbled to the floor. Sojiro couldn't read her expression, behind her glasses and that ridiculous mop of hair. Seriously, had the girl never heard of brush?

"Now then...I got the gist of your situation." He leaned against the table with all the old newspapers stacked on it and crossed his arms, sighed heavily to himself.

"Basically, you got wrapped up in compensated dating, some guy didn't want to pay you what you felt you earned, you ended up assaulting him, and then he sued right?"

Akiko remained silent, her hands clutching at her bag straps. Sojiro noticed a shaking in her knees. She didn't deny the claims, which made Sojiro sigh in disgust, because seriously? This kid? What the hell was the world coming to these days.

"That's what you get for trying to act like a grown up. You did injure him, yeah?"

Again, Akiko remained silent. Sojiro continued. He needed to not only affirm with her that he knew all the details as to why she was here, but to let her know he wouldn't tolerate that sort of behavior under his roof.

"And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school. The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your family also approved. So, in other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass."

Akiko didn't flinch at the mention of her family this time, so Sojiro didn't feel so bad in reminding her of her situation.

"Look, if you know what's best for you, you won't behave like that here. I am in the restaurant business, you know." He growled, pointing an accusatory finger towards the girl. "Behave yourself. Your probation is over in a year. No problems for a year, and it will be lifted. Cause any problems, you'll be sent straight to Juvie."

Akiko nodded silently, she refused to lift her head to meet Sojiro's gaze. He grit his teeth. Was she even listening?

"Tomorrow, we're going to Shujin."

"Shujin?" She mumbled, shifting her weight side to side.

Was this brat serious?

"Shujin Academy," Sojiro stressed, bringing a hand to his temple. "The School you'll be attending here. We'll go introduce ourselves and get the last of your paperwork filled out."

When all Akiko did was lift a hand to nervously twist at a piece of her hair, Sojiro sighed again. Seriously, how ungrateful could this kid be?

"Do you know how hard it was to find a school that would take you, with your record? Not anyone wants to deal with someone like you, you know."

Kurusu once again didn't verbally reply, just ducked her head back down and started to nervously fiddle with the ends of her hair.

"Sheesh, what a waste of my Sunday it's going to be." He could already picture the traffic.

"Oh, before I go, your luggage arrived here yesterday. I brought it up here for you." He nudged the large cardboard box with his foot before turning to leave.

"I'm going back downstairs to mind the store for a few more hours. I'll leave you to get settled."

Business went as usual for the rest of the Saturday. Sojiro served two more couples coffee and let them linger, and the Doctor woman from down the road came by for curry for dinner. He would see the kid sneak down from the attic, in and out of the bathroom a few times with the cleaning supplies, and could hear things bumping and thumping around upstairs until it was time for him to lock up. It was getting late and he had to make sure that Futaba ate at least two healthy meals a day.

He'd finished washing the last of the dishes and was ready to leave for the night. Out of habit he almost just left, but quickly remembered about the new addition to his attic.

Stretching and yawning, Sojiro climbed the stairs to tell the kid goodnight, but was quickly halted in his steps by what he saw.

Was...was this still his attic? Has he made a wrong turn somehow? Since when was the hardwood floor that shade of brown?

"What the heck?" He mumbled, causing Kurusu to jump and look over her shoulder at her new guardian with wide eyes like she'd been caught doing something bad.

"I heard you making all sorts of noise up here, but I didn't think you were cleaning this much..." He muttered in amazement. It was incredible the amount of progress she'd made in what couldn't be more than four hours.

One of the windows was opened wide to let the old air out and fresh air in. It was the beginning of April so it was a little chilly, but in a crisp way. The gentle smell of cherry blossoms wafted on the breeze, which was much more pleasant than musty attic smell.

The table with all the newspapers was cleared off, the study desk was ready to go, the plant he'd long given up hope for and was sure by this point should be dead was moved to the foot of the bed, closer to the window and the sunlight.

His old broken bike, the rusted ladder and all other garbage was moved to a pile in front of the banister, ready to be brought downstairs when it was appropriate.

The cobwebs in the rafters were gone, not a single one to be seen, and Sojro was positive he'd never seen the floor this clean before.

Kurusu Akiko was currently sitting on the floor, traditionally with her feet folded beneath her, every single book from the bookcase in a pile on the floor in front of her. She looked like a deer in headlights, her large grey eyes fixated on Sojiro, reading his face, meeting his eyes for the first time since she's been there. She'd changed from her uniform at some point, into jeans and a simple black sleeved, white bodied baseball shirt.

"I..I..."

Ignoring his wards fumbling for now, he continued, smiling a little. "You know, the place doesn't look half bad. I should start charging rent." He joked, laughing a little at the end.

"I...I'm sorry if I moved something I shouldn't have." She said at last, bowing her head to him again, her messy black locks tumbling over her shoulder again. The words seemed to tumble from her lips, like alphabet blocks down stairs. She rushed to get them out so quickly, and she chose the most formal way to say it too...

"Don't be." He waved her off. "I told you the rest was on you to clean up, and honestly, you cleaned up good. Though it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy. I don't care about anything that happens to the junk up here, I haven't used it in years, I won't use it now. Tomorrow, after school, you can take the bigger junk to the second hand store a few doors down. Doubt you'll get much, but you can keep whatever he gives you. Consider it payment for cleaning out my storage space for me."

He watched as the kid in front of him absorbed the information and processed it before nodding in agreement with him. What a strange girl.

"Get some sleep. I'm going to close up shop and get out of here, and remember, I'm not going to take care of you if you get yourself sick from staying up too late, got it?" She nodded again, remaining silent as Sojiro left the store.

He shut off the lights, made sure the TV was off, locked the door behind him and took a long deep sigh.

He dug in his coat pocket for his pack of cigarettes and fished one out, lighting up and inhaling the bitter nicotine.

What kind of mess was he getting himself into?

"Sojiro, you really are an old Fool. Should have just said No." He mumbled to himself, as he walked away from his cafe, heading home for the night.

\------

Sojiro wasn't sure what he was expecting when he walked up to his cafe and started to unlock the door, but it certainly wasn't this.

Through the glass window on the door, Sojiro could see Kurusu Akiko, already dressed in her school uniform, her blazer set aside with her school bag on one of his bar stools, as mop in hand as she diligently scrubbed at the floor.

Unbelievable.

Sojiro unlocked the door and closed it behind him a little louder than he should have. "What did you do? Did you break something? What did I say about trouble?"

Akiko startled, clutching the mop handle tightly. The deer in headlights eyes were back, wide and panicked.

"No...no I didn't-!" She exclaimed rather breathlessly, "I was just mopping, I- I swear!"

Sojiro sighed and rubbed at his temples. "Forget it. We don't have time for this. The school you'll be attending is in the Aoyama district. It'll take a while to get there by train, it has some transfers that can be a hassle too. I'll drive you there for today, but just today! Let's go."

Akiko nodded, seemingly grateful for the change in conversation.

"Sheesh...Minors aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat."

The ride to the school was uneventful and silent, the two of them sitting in awkward silence as they listened to the radio.

It took a little longer than he'd have liked, but he found a parking spot that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and the two exited the small yellow bug.

As they approached the school, Sojiro noticed that Akiko was lingering behind him, hands twisting together nervously in front of her.

"Do me a favor, and behave yourself. Don't get me wrong, I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble."

He didn't pay her another glance before striding into the school.

Finding the office wasn't too hard, and before long he was signing away his signature and contact information at the bottom of this kid's forms. Guess he was officially a guardian of two kids now. What a mess his life has become.

"To reiterate," Began the principal, sneering down his nose at the girl on Sojiro's right. "Just so we're clear. You will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems."

Sojiro could see her nod out of the corner of his eye.

The principal continued, his disdain evident in his tone, "In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability. Honestly, a girl with your reputation... But we had to consider our circumstances. Listen, whatever you might have gotten away with in your hometown, those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there truly will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind."

Geez, this guy. Sojiro felt his blood pressure rise. This guy was supposed to be a teacher, and this was how he treated his students? What a mess.

"This will be your homeroom teacher."

"I'm Kawakami Sadayo." She bowed lightly, her tone bored and face impassive, as she passed over a plastic card with Akiko's picture on it.

"Here's your student ID. Please be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. Please know that any....Dating...of any kind will not be tolerated. This isn't a school rule, this is specifically a ‘you’ rule, understand?" The female teacher sighed, her tone clear she’d rather be anywhere else but here.

"If you do end up causing trouble, I won't be able to protect you at all." She said bluntly before glancing down at the principal. "That is the promise...right Principal Kobayakawa?"

"Correct. She'll be responsible for her own actions."

"But why me though? Surely there had to be a more qualified teacher..."

"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one with an opening."

For fuck sales, they were talking about her like she was nothing, right in front of her. Sojrio grit his teeth. He didn't come here to be reminded he'd taken in a problem child.

"If we're done here, mind if we get going? I have a business to run, you know."

"Of course, thank you for your time. Sakura-san? Please...keep a close eye on her. Don't let her cause any trouble outside of school."

"Yeah yeah, I'll be sure to have a talk with her about her situation."

Who did that man think he was? Sojiro wasn't one of his students, he couldn't just boss him around. He turned and made to leave for the door.

He heard the female teacher talking to Kurusu again, something about meeting her before class. He didn't really care, and frankly he just wanted to get out of there.

He'd had enough of teachers talking down on him when he was in school, he didn't want to hear it again all these years later.

Once they made it out to the lobby, he slowed to a stop, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he still had his silent shadow following behind him.

"Sheesh...everyone's giving you the cold shoulder. Guess that's what having a criminal record does to you." He turned to face her fully. "This place is literally the only school that would take you. Get expelled, and you're done. Got that? I'll kick you out too, I don't shelter dropouts."

Futaba hadn't dropped out of anything, she'd just never enrolled in High school. She was smart enough to do online classes anyway. Besides. Futaba was nothing like this troublesome brat.

She fidgeted under his gaze, once again fiddling with a lock of her hair. "I...I think I can manage."

He gave a sigh and looked around at the halls and the classroom doors that surrounded them. Down the hall he could see several display cases, filled with sports trophies and awards.

"Hmph. School never changes, huh?" He shook his head and turned around to leave. "Come on. Let's go home."

The two silently left the school property, down the street towards the car park, and into the car.

The ride home was exactly what he was dreading. Bumper to bumper traffic, that just didn't seem to move.

"Uuuuggghh traffic isn't moving at all." He grumbled, watching yet another cyclist pass them by. "You're taking the train, starting tomorrow." He said firmly, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel impatiently as he watched the numbers in his gas tank slowly drain. What a wasted Sunday. Couldn't open the store, had to spend money for parking and gas too, stuck in this car with some kid he really really didn't want to deal with.

He glanced over at her and paused for a moment. She had her head ducked, her hands folded in her lap, holding onto her student ID like it was the lifeline keeping her from falling off a cliff.

He was struck for a moment just how much he was reminded of his first ride home with Futaba. She was so scared that she was going to say something or do something wrong and that Sojiro would just turn around and drive her right back to her aunt and uncle's that she hadn't said anything, just sat there, stiff as a board and terrified.

Just like Kurusu was now.

"So uh..." Shit how did he hold a conversation with a teenager again? "So how was it? The school I mean. Think you can manage?"

There was a small moment of silence while Akiko seemed to think it over before softly replying. "It seems like fun."

Fun? What the-? "Do you even understand your situation?" He asked sharply, huffing under his breath.

"Still...to be expelled once already and still re-enroll to a different school." That did take guts, he would give her that at least.

"It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you." He warned, watching as Kurusu nodded in agreement with him.

He sighed heavily, letting his head fall back.

"Still, to think, that's how teachers would talk in front of students. I wonder if people might end up saying stuff about me in the future..." He worried aloud. He hadn't thought this all the way through, it seems.

Oh Sojiro, what an old softy you're turning out to be. He thought to himself bitterly. What's next? Start a home for wayward kids? First Futaba, and she was acting like a shut in, now Kurusu and her coloured history, what would the neighborhood think?

"What a troublemaker I've taken in."

"Why did you take me in?"

He was taken aback by how sudden her question was. It caused him to fumble with his words for a moment before composing himself.

"I was asked to do it and I just...happened to say yes." The argument sounded stronger in his head, he would admit.

He could still remember the phone call he got last month. A number he didn't recognize. Honestly he shouldn't have answered but something in his gut told him to.

He listened to the woman on the other end of the line introduce herself as the sister of an old friend of his, Kana. Sojiro and Kana had met in college and became fast friends. They would study together, go drinking together, get into all kinds of mischief together during the two years they had a school.

Then Kana moved back to her hometown and got married and Sojiro never heard from her again, until today, when Kana's sister called to ask for a favor.

Kana and her husband had both died a few years ago, and Seiko, her sister, was left raising Kana's daughter, Akiko.

Seiko was calling Sojiro because she just couldn't handle Akiko anymore.

"Please Sakura-san, you have to take her. I can't deal with her anymore!" The woman had begged, sobbing into the receiver. 

"She's a curse on this family, she's done nothing but bring us pain and embarrassment! If you don't take her, the court system will."

"But why me?!" He had remembered demanding, more confused than anything as to why he was getting this call of all people.

"The Courts ordered her out of the city during her probation, and you are the only person we could think to contact. Please Sakura-san, we can pay you for your troubles, and if she causes you any trouble you can kick her out! Please Sakura-san, we beg of you, it's not even for a full year! 11 months is all we ask, then you can toss her out!"

"....How much we talking here?"

It didn't take long for the transfer to go through, then the paperwork, and then eventually a box was delivered to his cafe, and here they were.

"Your aunt sent me a pretty decent sum of cash to look after you too." He admitted, deciding that transparency was the best option. He didn't miss the clearly flinch in her shoulders or pinch in her face at the mention of her aunt again.

"-and back to today's top stories. Today in Tokyo, a subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-"

The radio cut the tension, and Sojiro thanked God for the little miracles.

"Another accident? So that's why it's so crowded." He looked ahead at all the traffic. Come to think of it, isn't this like that that couple was talking about yesterday?

"Been a lot of those lately," He mumbled, "In fact there was a real sad one last month. A girl passed away. She was 15 I think." Futaba's age. He couldn't fathom it. One day she would be there and the then the just gone? Forever?

"Her parents must be..." He trailed off, letting his mind get the best of him for a moment.

"...all traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam packed streets."

"Oh come on! Tell me something good!" He smacked his hand on the dashboard twice, hopefully trying to smack some positivity into the radio. "Ugh what a pain." He mumbled.

By the time they were both able to walk back into the cafe, it was practically time to close it. Sojiro unlocked the door and let the teenager in first, as he brought in the sign he'd placed on the door stating they would be closed for personal reasons today.

"Damn, to think there'd be that much traffic... What a waste of time." He grumbled, crumbling up the sign and tossing it in the trash. "Couldn't open the shop at all today."

In front of him, Kurusu fidgeted with her hair for a moment before bowing deeply at the waist again. "Th-thank you for driving me to school today. I'm sorry it took so long."

Was...was this brat for real? Why was she apologizing? She didn't cause the subway train to derail. He shook his head. Teenagers. He'd never understand them.

"Whatever." He grumbled, "Just get upstairs. There's something I want to give you."

His phone chirped in his pocket, Futaba was sending him news article links to the train crash and asking if he was okay. He quickly reminded her that he had a car, he didn't need to take the subway.

He saw Akiko hesitate for a moment before slowly doing what she was told and headed upstairs.

He watched her with a raised brow. He'd only sent her to her room, why did it look like she was marching to the gallows?

Shaking his head, he took a moment to reply to another message from Futaba, that yes, he'd be home with dinner soon.

Out of curiosity, he opened the link and scanned through the article.

"Talk about a gruesome accident." He said, not looking up from his phone screen as he climbed the stairs. "Over eighty people got hurt."

He looked up from his phone to find his ward standing in the center of the room, looking terrified. She stood as still as a tree, stiff and nervous all over. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing.

He glanced around the room, wondering if there was something she was trying to hide? The only noticeable difference since last night was that all the books were all arranged neatly on the top two shelves.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the pocket book he'd almost forgotten about.

"Here. It's a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date." He tossed the dairy on the table between them, making no effort to move towards the girl and hand it directly to her.

"You may be under probation, but aside from the obvious there's no special limitations to what you do in particular. Just know that I am obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities."

He gave her a sharp gaze. "Daily. Reports. Got it? I will be reading them, so please don't put anything too private in there, got it?"

She nodded, not looking nearly as scared as she had when he'd first come up the stairs. Her eyes darting between him and the small black notebook.

His phone rang from his back pocket. Futaba again?

"Hey, what's up? I'm heading home now."

"Go faster Sojiro! Faster!"

"Don't worry, I'll be there in no time." He chuckled. At least today was a good day for Futaba. There was always a brightside.

"Time has already happened!"

"Uh-huh, I'll see you soon." He laughed, hanging up the phone and turning back to Akiko, who hasn't moved a muscle since Sojiro entered the room.

"I'm going home for the night. I'm going to lock up the store behind me. Feel free to spend the rest of the night how you want." Then he remembered this morning and her mopping. "But don't go messing up my store! If I find something's gone missing, I'll turn you over to the cops myself, got it. You got school tomorrow right? Better get some sleep."

He made his way down the stairs and gave his store a once over, making sure everything was ready for tomorrow morning. The newspaper he'd set aside yesterday was still in its place, but the crossword looked different. He picked up the paper and gave it a look over. Someone had filled out the rest of the crossword in pen. Not a single mistake.

He gave a glance over his shoulder towards the attic. He was starting to have trouble believing that this kid really was the troublemaker she was supposed to be.

What kind of troublemaker looked so damn nervous all the time?

He'd been so wrapped up thinking about it, that it wasn't until he got home did he realize he forgot the store sign.

"Shit." He grumbled, kicking off his shoes in the entryway. He padded down the hall into the kitchen and grabbed the landline that was still hanging off the wall next to the fridge. He dialed up the payphone number for the shop and waited.

It took a few rings, and he was just about to give up and dial again, when then he heard the faint click of the line picking up.

"M-moshi moshi?" Akiko was at least a little louder over the phone, his hearing wasn't what it used to be, so he was grateful for that.

"I'm glad you picked up." He sighed in relief.

There was a long moment of silence before she asked, "Who is this?"

Seriously? This little brat!

"Have you forgotten my voice already? It's Sakura-san."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"Listen. I forgot to flip the store sign from open to closed. It's too much of a pain for me to go do it myself, so I'm asking you to."

"...Give me a moment." She was back to mumbling again, he hardly heard it over the line.

Sojiro heard her put the plastic phone receiver on the counter. The sound of the shop door jingling once, then twice and then Akiko was back.

"I did it." She announced, a shade of happiness in her tone he hadn't heard before. He couldn't stop the smile. Seriously, for real? There was no way a teenage prostitute had a right to be unintentionally cute.

"Thanks. Make sure to double check the lock before you go to sleep. I have to say, this is quite the relief. I make it a personal policy of mine not to store minors numbers in my phone, so I'm glad you actually picked up."

"..."

And he'd gone and made it awkward. He sighed a little and cleared his throat. "Anyway, have a good sleep. I'll be in the store before you have to leave tomorrow."

And then he hung up because he didn't want to continue that conversation any longer than he needed to.

Alone in his kitchen, Sojiro sighed and let his head thunk against the wall. What a mess he'd gotten himself into.

\------

It wasn't until he was knocking on Futaba's door to let her know her meal was ready and waiting for her outside the door, did he realize that he hadn't fed his other ward at all since she had arrived in Tokyo.

He cussed under his breath and turned around and hurried back down the stairs and into the kitchen, trying to do the math in his head.

Akiko had arrived just after noon yesterday. He'd assumed she'd eaten on the train, or on the way here, so he hadn't said anything. He hadn't even thought about feeding her dinner that night, the thought just hadn't crossed his mind at all. 

The next morning they had left pretty early to get to the school in time. There was no time for breakfast. Things at the school had taken so long, and traffic had been so bad that they hadn't gotten home until 5:30, that he'd just wanted to get home and worry about his own daughter.

So well over 24 hours. Closer to 30 hours now, he noticed with a sinking stomach as he glanced at the microwave clock.

He'd left his ward to go hungry for over 30 hours.

Fuck, he was such a shitty parent! Fuck! No wonder Futaba never wanted to leave her room, he just had no idea what to do when it came to taking care of children.

Sorijo clenched his teeth and gripped the edge of the fridge, looking for leftovers he could walk down to the cafe and then reheat in the store microwave.

Behind a case of beer he found a plateful of onigiri rice balls. He'd tried making them in cute shapes to make Futaba smile on a particularly bad day. They were shaped like little cat heads, and the nori was cut and arranged to look like cat faces. It took way more time than just doing it the normal way, but it had made Futaba happy, so it was worth it. Hopefully they'd be good enough for the little attic brat back at the cafe.

"Futaba! I’ve got to run back to the store for a bit, I forgot something. I'll be right back!" He called up the stairs, knowing full well he'd get no reply.

He slipped on his shoes and coat again and went back into the cold night air of Yongen-Jaya.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually, Sojiro was back inside LeBlanc again. The door jingles to single his entry.

"Hey kid, it's me!" He called up towards the ceiling. There was muffled movement above him, moving from above his head to towards the stairs. Eventually, the large black frizzy mess that was Akiko's hair, followed by Akiko's face, poked around the corner. She remained half hiding, nervous and unsure.

"Hey so, listen, first off, I need to apologize." Sojiro said, putting the plate on the counter and taking a few steps deeper into the store.

He sighed heavily, putting one hand on his hip and the other to block his eyes. 

"I get that things have been pretty rough on you these past few days, and at the very least, me forgetting to feed you for over a day couldn't have helped."

He gestured behind him to the plate of leftovers.

"I know they're not much, just some leftover onigiri, but it was all I had in my fridge so...eat up I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he pushed the plate towards her, gesturing for the teen to sit down at the bar seating.

"I can heat them up if you want, or do you like them cold?"

Akiko slowly entered the store, her hair was a complete mess, sticking out every which way, she'd probably been trying to sleep. She was wearing sleeping clothes too, dark green sweatpants and a plain black long sleeve shirt that was a size or two too big for her. The sleeves were so long her fingertips barely poked out.

"...I don't mind them cold." She only answered him once she was seated. There was a blankness to her tone that didn't sit right with him. Sojiro grit his teeth a little.

"Well, I didn't ask which way you minded them, I asked which way you liked them." He repeated a little gruffly. 

Large grey eyes looked up at him, searching his face for something, he couldn't tell what, before she ducked her daze again and answered honestly.

"I like them warm, please." Her voice was small and unsure, as if she was making a mistake.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked, taking the plate and moving towards the microwave. It didn't take too long to heat them up, he didn't want to dry them out of course.

He put the plate in front of her, taking his comfortable spot behind the counter, crossed his arms and smiled a little. He knew LeBlanc was pretty much just coffee and curry, but maybe he should add onigiri to the menu too. It almost looked like it belonged there on his bar.

Akiko hesitantly took one, looking over the cat design and all its slightly misshapen glory. Her thin fingers over the edges of the ears.

Sojiro flushed a little at the apt attention his food was being paid.

"Look...I didn't make them all cute for you or anything. Don't get the wrong idea. I-...it was an idea I had for the cafe, so I practiced at home. Obviously it's not an idea I'm going to follow through with, so just eat them, alright?"

Akiko blinked up at him and for a moment Sojiro was struck by just how sharp her eyes were. Intense grey orbs read his face with a clarity he wasn't anticipating from a teenager of all people.

Then she threw him off guard again by smiling at him, sincerely. It was a small smile, but it fit her face and Sojiro could tell she meant it. It was kinda incredible how much her face softened with just a simple smile.

"Thank you for the food Sakura-san. I really appreciate it."

"Oh Geez..." Was he blushing? He was too old to be blushing just cuz some pretty face smiled at him. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Well, the brat could be charming when she tried, that was something to keep in mind.

"Just shut up and eat the rice balls, will ya?" He grumbled.

Akiko silently tucked into her meal, smiling softly to herself as she ate.

Sojiro didn't say anything on it, mostly because he felt bad, but she practically inhaled her food. He'd make sure to give her a big meal tomorrow morning before she left for school.

\------

Bright and early, Sojiro was back at the store and once again Akiko was already up and dressed in her uniform. She was sitting at the bar counter, reading a book that Sojiro vaguely recognized as having come from the pile of books upstairs.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Sakura-san."

"Ehhh no need to be so formal. Most folks round here just call me Boss. You can too."

"...Alright...Good morning Boss. Thank you again for dinner last night."

Sojiro grunted, shaking his head as he moved behind the counter and started getting the base for his curry started on the stove.

"Don't go thanking me for that. It would look bad on me if you ended up in the hospital. I'm not going to give you any pocket money, you want cash, get a real part time job, but I can give you two square meals a day, if you want them. Hope you like curry."

There was a moment of contemplative silence from the girl sitting at the counter before she replied in a smaller voice than before.

"...of course...thank you Boss."

"Sheesh..." He turned his attention back to the curry base and started cutting the apples.

It didn't take long for the shop to smell of simmering spices and roasting coffee and a meal was set out of the counter for her, as she marked her place in her book and tucked it into her book bag.

"Eat up and fast and get a move on. You don't want to be late for your first day."

There was something special about feeding people good food. The joy in their face when they got a mouthful of something wonderful. The shock of exploring new flavours. The knowledge that he was providing the fuel for someone to make it through the day.

It was the main reason he really wanted to have a cafe of his own.

That and being his own boss was certainly appealing after so many years of working for the government.

Akiko quickly finished her meal, using her spoon to scrape the plate clean, and finished her coffee to the last drop before she stood and bowed politely at the waist.

"Thank you very much for the meal, Boss. It was delicious."

"Hmmp. Get going to school already. Make sure to flip the sign to open for me as you go. Now hurry up. Don't wanna get lost, Country girl." He teased a little.

She nodded silently and quickly grabbed her book bag and left, the bells jingling behind her as she turned, flipped the sign as asked, and with a swish of her long messy hair, she vanished out of sight and down the road.

It wasn't much later his first customer of the day scurried inside, a businessman who sat at the bar.

"Oh man, did they say it was going to be raining today?" He asked, shaking loose drops of water from his hair. "It just started all of a sudden, god, see, this is why I hate the early spring."

"That reminds me...did she take an umbrella?" Sojiro mumbled to himself, trying to recall what Akiko took with her when she left. Just her book bag right? Well, no matter, as long she got to school alright.

"Hmm? She?"

"Oh pardon me, just talking to myself. What can I get for you today?"

"One house blend please."

The TV continued to talk about the accident from yesterday, and all the delays it was building up. The business man talked about how one of his co-worker was in the hospital from the accident, and how the subjects all seemed to suffer mental breaks or nervous shutdowns during interrogation.

Sojiro was only half listening, hoping that that brat didn't end up being late to her first day of class.

\-------


	2. Chapter 2: Ryuji

Chapter two: Ryuji.

Of course it would be raining! Just perfect! And the week he lost his umbrella too!

Ryuji was running behind schedule, again, but it wasn't his fault! First; he had to help his mom out! She'd fallen asleep in the living room again after coming home late last night, so he had to help her up from the couch and into her real bed so she could get some proper rest. 

He ended up cleaning up after her quickly, picking up the small pile of leftover takeout his mom had left on the coffee table, then moving her shoes, coat and bag to the appropriate spots so she could grab them as she would inevitably run the door in a few hours.

Then he missed his usual train and had to wait for the next one, and that set him even more behind!

Rain was just the icing on the cake really!

The bleach blonde punk was walking closer to the shops, taking advantage of the awnings and the shelter they provided, when he noticed a familiar silver car drive past, slowing to a stop just over a block down.

From his point of view he couldn't see who was inside, but he knew. He knew for sure once he saw the familiar figure and hair of Takamaki stepping forward and getting into the car. 

Deep in his chest he felt that ball of rage and hate, the one specifically set aside for anything Kamoshida related, flared-up in a red hot rage he couldn't swallow.

He struggled to get his leg going, a painful twinge in his knee that was hard to ignore, but he pushed through it. He ran as quickly as he could, making sure not to slip on the rain covered pavement, but it wasn't fast enough. He watched as the silver car drove off and he was left in the fumes.

"Damnit! Screw that pervy teacher!" He snarled, stamping his leg in rage. He wanted the pain of his foot hitting the cement to out way the pain in his knees, but now they both hurt and he was even angrier! 

"... Pervy... teacher?" A girl's voice questioned from behind him. Shit, he hadn't noticed he wasn't alone. Panic swelled in his chest for a moment.

"What? You planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida?" He whipped around to face the girl he was mildly threatening. He didn't recognize her, but she was wearing a Shujin uniform.

"Kamoshida?" The way she said the name, like she was testing it for the first time, the look of confusion on her face, it all had Ryuji doing a double take.

Ryuji frowned at the girl in front of him, really looked at her and took in her appearance.

She stood in front of him, shifting her weight from foot to foot, one hand holding her phone, the other clutching at the strap over her shoulder, where he could see a familiar style school bag peeking out from behind her thick mess of messy hair.

Her large glasses took up the majority of her face, making it hard for Ryuji to get a good look at her eyes. They were a dark colour, he could at least tell that from here. She didn't seem to be wearing any make up, her lips a natural shade of pink, and they didn't look extra shiny or nothing special. Kinda cute, he mused, but just too nerdy.

After a moment of trying to read the mystery girl in front of him, he sighed and gave up. 

"Driving that car, it was Kamoshida. Damn that guy pisses me off! Treats the whole damn school like his castle."

"...a Castle?" She repeated back, still looking as lost as she was at the start of their interaction.

"What, for real? You don't know Kamoshida?" He frowned at her, disbelief in every word. "You do go to Shujin, right?"

"I...I think so..."

Huh? Was this chick serious? He squinted his eyes a little as he took in the girl in front of him. She was about half a head shorter than he was, she had long black messy hair that fell over her back and hung in her eyes and big oversized glasses that took up the majority of her face. The more he looked at her, the more confidently he could say that she was cute, just a nerd. Which was fine! Totally fine! Just, so not his type, ya know?

He glanced down at her uniform. It was a Shujin uniform alright, the Emblem for the school proudly displayed over her left breast. And...what...decent sized breasts they were. He couldn't help but notice the curve of her figure, and the way her uniform, which she wore as close to dresscode as possible, hugged her curves. He could feel himself heating up under his collar a little.

"Definitely a Shujin student, ain't no other schools in the area with a uniform like that." He leaned back, giving her space cuz he wasn't a genius but even he could see she was uncomfortable. She had shifted her arms closer to her body and had moved half a step back from him.

He flushed a little. 'Great first impression there, Sakamoto, she caught you looking and now she thinks you're some vulgar creep.' 

He managed to tear his gaze up towards the collar of her blazer, where her class pin was. A simple 2 in a circle, same as his.

"You're a second year, yeah?" He asked, smiling at her to try and ease the vibe between them. Thankfully it seemed to work as she nodded and shifted her weight a little, her shoulders looking more comfortable than just a moment ago.

"Cool, me too. What class are you in? I don't recognize you."

He hadn't meant to be so blunt but the words left his mouth before he could stop them.

The girl in front of him didn't seem to mind his rudeness, because she replied softly "I'm supposed to find out today..."

"Huh? Oh- I get it! You're the new transfer student!" Well that made all kinds of sense now, no wonder the girl was so lost.

She nodded at him, before lowering her head and dodging his gaze, and it was in that moment it was like a chain of lightbulbs went off, one after another in Rjuji's mind.

This girl in front of him, the quiet, shy, nerdy girl with messy hair, pretty lips, and decently sized tits, could easily catch Kamoshida's eye. She could so very easily become one of the countless other Volleyball girls, quietly shuffling from one class to the others, worshipping the ground that that dirtbag walked on.

He had to warn her, he could tell her all about how dirty and nasty that monster really was and-

He sighed a little to himself. "Well then it's no wonder you don't know him" he finally mumbled bitterly.

What was the point? She wouldn't believe him. Noone believed him. The team didn't believe him, the school didn't, none of the teachers believed him. What was the point in just getting angry again? He’d just make himself more tired.

"Come on. I'll walk with you to school." He offered, shrugging his shoulder a little, trying to come off as cool and aloof. Just because she wasn't his type, didn't mean he couldn't flirt a little right? Nothing wrong with flirting with a cute girl.

"We should hurry, or we'll both be late." He smiled at her, trying to be charming. When he turned around to start walking and leading the way to school, however, a sharp pain cut across his temple, knocking the air out him with its suddenness.

"Nnnh!" He groaned, bringing a hand to his temple to try and rub the pain away. "Damn, my head hurts."

Just fantastic on top of everything, he was getting a migraine too. 

"Uuugh can't I just go home already?" He asked no one in particular before he started to lead the way to school. He knew full well he couldn't really afford to cut another day, regardless of how badly he wanted to go home and play video games for the rest of the day.

It was practically any usual morning, Ryuji walking his usual route to school, turning easily into the alley behind the music store and continuing on his way.

He could faintly hear her shoes clicking against the pavement behind him, so he didn’t bother to look back and check on her. Best just get to school and get the day over with. Sooner it was over the sooner he could go back to beating the last level of Super Soy Lad.

Ryuji was debating to himself if he should try and talk with the girl behind him again, maybe ask for her number? She was new to school and shouldn’t have any friends yet. Noone would have had the chance to tell her about what a “bad boy” and delinquent he was. Maybe the two of them could hang out, get some food after school?

Sighing to himself about it, he weighed the pros and cons in his head. On one hand, it could go awesome. The two could exchange numbers, hang out and eat lunch together...He could finally do what he promised he’d do and get a girlfriend by the end of highschool!

Sure she wasn’t pretty or stacked like Takamaki was, but she was still cute, he could admit that. He could totally do that right? He could totally pull off having a cute nerdy girlfriend. She could help him with his homework, and make bento boxes for him with cute little designs on the inside...

On the other hand, she could take one look at his bleach blonde hair, his vague interpretation of the student dress code, his short temper and just make a judgement call on him without even getting to know him. Hell, she wouldn’t even need to do that! Once they got to school it wouldn’t take long until someone gossiped about him to her.

Who was he joking? The chick was walking several feet behind him, probably scared out of her mind that he was going to mug her or something. 

Shaking his head clear of his thoughts, he looked up at...

What was very clearly not the School he walked to nearly every day.

There was a castle in its place. 

Ryuji looked around, the surrounding buildings looked the same, the street looked the same.

"What the hell?" He mumbled aloud.

"A...Castle?" He heard the girl mumble from behind him.

"This ain't right. We went the right way! I walk this way everyday, there's no way I got lost!" He turned around and looked behind him. Yeah, see! The same alley he took every day to get home from school! So if he turned around there should be...

It was still a castle. 

"This...doesn't make any sense..." Ryuji scratched his head. Where the heck was the school?

"Look..." The girl pointed to the metal placard on the wall, just before the mother effin drawbridge that led up to the huge wooden gates. Holy shit this place was crazy.

The sign read Shujin Academy, followed by the right address. They were in the right spot.

"Is this...some kind of TV prank?" He guessed, taking a couple steps forward.

The girl didn't say anything, it looked like she was looking around for a hidden camera crew.

"Guess...we just have to go and ask?" He suggested, starting to head into the school.

The girl followed behind him, still clutching at her bag straps.

\-------

"This shit's for real..." He realized too late as the literal knights in armour with broadswords thicker than his arms came at them. There was no way he'd be able to handle them in a fight, and he wasn't going to let them hurt the girl behind him.

"We gotta run!" He whipped around and shouted at the black haired girl, who was just standing there wide eyed.

"O...okay..."

"Don't just stand there! Run!" He rushed forward, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her with him, but it was too late, two more knights showed up out of nowhere, making them outnumbered and surrounded.

"Shit! What's with these guys?" He turned to face the girl, to make sure that she was okay, when something slammed into his back so hard and sudden he was thrown off his feet and smashed painfully into the black and white tile below.

"Gah! Shhiit you're gonna break my bones damn it!"

"Take them away!" Ordered a knight, he couldn't tell which one.

"Don't you touch her!" He snarled, trying to scramble to his feet, but a sharp dull thunk on the back of his head knocked him firmly to the ground.

Ryuji felt nauseous as his vision blurred in and out of focus, he struggled to swallow down the urge to gag, gasping for air at the same time. Tears swam in his eyes, torn forth from pain.

"No! Don't-!" Another thunk gasp of pain and the last thing Ryuji saw was the figure of the girl crumpled to the ground next to him,like a puppet with its strings cut.

\-----------------

"Ahh shit, my head..." His skull felt like it was about to split open, pulsing with every beat of his heart.

When he opened his eyes, Ryuji felt his gut drop out completely as he took in his surroundings.

No way.

No freaking way...

He was in a freaking dungeon! Laying on a prisoners bed, inside a freaking medieval torture chamber! Chains and monocles hung from cold stone brick walls, and a wall of thick metal bars blocked him in. He couldn't see much beyond the cage doors, it was too dark to see.

He wasn't the only one trapped inside either, he noticed the girl from before was there too, laying on her side on a cot just like the one he was on. She was still out cold, though.

"Hey!" Ryuji got off his cot, ignored the sudden wave of dizziness and lightheadedness that almost had him falling back on his butt, and instead knelt down in front of her. He hoped she was okay. Fuck, if only they had run out of there faster!

"Nnnhhh..." She groaned, curling in on herself a bit more, tightening her almost fetal sleeping position. Her legs crossed at the ankle, and tucked up towards her chest, her arms curled gentle in front of her with delicate fingers flexing. 

"Hey...wake up..." He tried, a little gentler than before. Ryuji reached out to touch her shoulder, to try and rock her into consciousness. It only took two shakes before her eyes fluttered open, groaning softly as the light.

Her eyes seemed glazed and confused. He hoped she didn't have a concussion, he was almost positive he had one himself.

He offered her a hand, to help her sit up properly. A second of hesitation, before her smaller hand slid into his own.

He couldn't help but notice how cold she was. Her fingers were chilly, almost like grabbing a chilled bottle of water on a summer day? Her cool finger tips in particular, left little trails across his skin as she grasped his hand and he helped her right herself.

He let her have a moment to look around and absorb the situation they were in, same as him. It was so weird though, Ryuji was confused and upset, obviously, but the look on this girl's face? She looked so resigned, like nothing could ever make her smile ever again.

"Hey... You alright?" Dumb question Ryuji, stupid, obviously she's not alright, neither of you are, what kinda of stupid ass-

"Mmmhmm...you?"

It took a second for his brain to fully register that first, he was being asked a question, and that second, he was being asked a question about his well-being, by the girl he couldn't get out of dangers way quick enough.

"Ehhh I've had worse." Play it cool, right? Chicks dig cool guys, right? "Better question is, where the hell are we?"

Before they could brainstorm on it any further, an agonized scream echoed off the walls, startling both teenagers into standing up straight.

"The hell was that just now?" Ryuji ran over to the door of their cell, shaking it to no avail, the thick heavy metal wasn't budging.

The same voice screamed again, not as loud but just as pained, one after the other after the other.

"Whoa....whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." This couldn't be happening, there was no way this could actually be happening. "You gotta be shitting me..."

"W-what should we do?" The girl asked him, the shake in her voice was undeniable.

"Nnnngh! Come on think!" Ryuji grabbed a tuft of his hair and pulled, trying to pull the thoughts out of his brain. "Gahh, let's look around! There's gotta be another way out!"

The two slip up, each searching their side of the cell, checking in and around the barrels, tugging on the chains, looking for any loose bricks, but their searching was quickly interrupted by a series of footsteps approaching.

Two guards, they looked just like the ones from earlier, marched up to their cell. They spoke, but it was weird their mouths didn't move, like they were wearing a mask of some kind.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon," Boomed a Guard, with no mouth moving it was hard to tell which was talking, "Your charge is 'Unlawful Entry.' Therefore you will be sentenced to death."

"Say what?!"

"No one's allowed to do as they please is my castle." He knew that voice!

As the guards parted, some clown of a man approached the cell, wearing house slippers and a pink and red heart patterned cape with a thick white trim, a sparkly gold crown to top it off? What on earth?

"Wait... Is that you, Kamoshida?" No way. The hell was this asshole doing?! And what the hell did he think he was wearing?!

"Kamoshida?" He almost forgot about the girl in the cell with him too. She looked just as confused as he did about everything that was happening.

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto." Kamoshida sighed, doing nothing to hide the annoyance in his tone. "Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?"

That slime ball’s gaze slid from one student to the next. "And you brought a friend this time.... because you can't do anything by yourself." He smirked at Ryuji, clearly trying to aggravate him into a response.

"This ain't funny, you asshole!" He shook the cell doors again, every fiber in his being wanted to punch that jerk right in the face.

"Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the ultimate crime of insulting me, the King." That smirk was back. "The punishment for that is death, you know."

With a gesture of his arm, the knights were back at attention.

"It's time for the execution! Guards! Take him out!"

The cell door that he'd been struggling so hard to open, the guards pushed in like it was nothing, knocking him back a little, and separating him from the girl, who looked just as shocked that this could really be happening as he did.

"S-stop it." He tried, but his voice just wasn't strong enough. The knights were closing in on him, pushing into the cell and backing him into a corner.

Was this it? Was he going to just give up and die down here? What about the girl? She didn't deserve to get caught up in this! It was him Kamoshida wanted gone, it had always been him that that shithead had wanted gone.

"Goddamnnit!" He knew he was outnumbered, but maybe if he took them by surprise, he could give her a chance.

He'd never played football before, but he'd watched enough TV to get the idea. He didn't have much of a run up, but Ryuji was pleasantly surprised when the guard that was closest to the girl went down.

"Hurry! Run! Get out of here!" He shouted at her, waving his hand towards the open door. There was just Kamoshida in the way and if she could kick him in the nuts or something she could totally get out of here if she ran fast enough.

The first knight to enter the cell, the one on his left moved much quicker than he'd anticipated and the wind got knocked out of him.

Ryuji couldn't remember the full impact, or his trip to the floor subsequently after, he just remembered gasping for air and groaning in pain. 

W-was it worth it? Had she gotten out?

He struggled to look up and watched with disbelieving eyes as this girl tried in vain to hold the knight he'd knock down away, gasping at what pieces of metal her hands could find purchase on and pulling with all her might, trying to keep the knight from advancing on him.

"Just go! Get outta here! These guys are serious!" He called out to her, the breath behind his shouts a little wheezy.

"Oh? Running away are we? What a flaky girlfriend you have there, Sakamoto." Kamoshida sneered at him.

"She ain't my girlfriend..." Ryuji protested, struggling to his knees, his whole body radiating pain.

"Come on!" He shouted at the girl, who was still trying to hold the knight back, as futile as it was. "C'mon! Hurry up and go!"

"What's the matter? Too scared to run away?" Kamoshida smirked as he made his way further into the cell, his...weird yellow eyes, now focused on the girl, which was really the last thing Ryuji wanted.

Ryuji's blood boiled as Kamoshida advanced on the girl.

"Hey, stop it."

The blonde was ignored, as Kamoshida, simply by walking forward, marched forward and intimidated her to let go of the knight and back up against the wall.

Because of the knights, the effing ridiculous cape, and the fact that now Kamoshida had his back to him, Ryuji couldn't see what he was doing to the girl. He could only see that he had her pinned to the wall, and that was enough.

"Hey! Don't you touch her, you dirty creep!" He screamed, struggling to his feet once more.

"...Fine." Kamoshida sighed, turning awake from the girl, who stood stock still against the wall, frozen in fear? Fuck, he wished she would just run. Kick that bastard in the dick and run. Do it girl, just run.

"You want to die that much? So be it. I'll focus on this one's execution, then we can deal with this bitch."

With a snap of his fingers, the knights grabbed Ryuji by his arms and lifted him up, off his feet.

"I'll show you what happens to slaves who disobey the King, once and for all! Take this!"

It was worse than the last time Kamoshida had beat his ass. At least back then, Ryuji had gotten one solid swing in and managed to crack the bastard's nose. Even though he'd lost, he'd treasured the memory of blood and tears rolling down that assholes face. This time, Ryuji was being held in place, forced to take it like some kind of living punching bag.

One, two, punches to his head, a third to his gut, another two to his head and with a final punch he was dropped like a bag of rice to the floor.

He could barely register the fact that while he lay there on the cell's cold stone floor, struggling to breath, that Kamoshida spat on him. Like he was trash.

Ryuji felt like trash. He got his ass kicked by Kamoshida again, and to top it all off, once he was finished with him, that rat bastard was going to go after that girl too!

This wasn't fair!

"Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" Kamoshida sneered before scofting. "A peasant like you isn't worth beating."

He was raised by the back of his shirt, and tossed aside. He really was trash. He couldn't even brace his landing, rolling painfully across the floor.

"I'll have you killed right now."

"Stop it!" Cried the girl.

Why was she still here?! This damn idiot needed to go! Why didn't she run why he was getting his ass beat! Moron! 

Kamoshida laughed, briefly turning to face her, Ryuji was that while she wasn't being held in place, a knight did have a sword raised in front of her, blocking her in place.

Shit... This was really bad. Really really bad.

"What? Do you really think some stupid slut can give me orders?"

Ryuji lifted his head, struggling to see through hazy eyes. His head was spinning. 

"That look in your eyes irritates me!" Kamoshida snarled before a loud crack rang out across the cell and the girl was knocked off her feet, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Kamoshida sighed and rubbed the back of his hand, his knuckles glowing red.

"Hold her there." He ordered the knights. "After the peasant, it's her turn to die."

The girl tried to scramble to her feet, rushing forward towards Kamoshida, but two of the knights stopped her, each grabbing a shoulder and pushing her roughing back against the cell wall, the chains rattling on impact.

The third knight approached Ryuji, as did Kamoshida. That bastard was laughing at him.

"No...please..." He gasped.

He was lifted by his collar, and slammed against the wall, the knight raising his sword, pointed squarely at his neck.

From behind him, he could see the girl struggling, fighting desperately against her captors, screaming wordlessly and crying, tears pouring down her face.

"Execute him!"

"That's enough!" Cried another voice, almost immediately after. It was enough to shock Kamoshida out of his bloodlust, even the knight holding Ryuji, loosened his grip, letting the blonde teen sink to the floor, gasping for air.

"What was that?" Kamoshida growled, turning his attention back to the girl. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine."

No...

"Guards!"

The knight in the girls left raised his shield and with a loud thwack, crashed it into her face, knocking her glasses off, sending them scattering across the floor.

There was a brief moment of pause where she didn't respond, and Ryuji was worried for a moment that they'd knocked her out again.

Kamoshida raised a hand.

A knight raised his sword.

And the girl opened her eyes.

Ryuji couldn't explain it, but the wave of energy that rushed around him, the pulse of power that radiated off her, it was like he was breathing in the cleanest, freshest, purest air, and it sent shivers across his skin. He could breathe better and his body didn't hurt as badly as it had just seconds ago.

What the hell?

He wasn't the only one affected, he noticed. Kamoshida had backed up a pace or two, and the knights had all raised their shield in defense, looking back over their barriers curiously.

The girl stood in the center of it all, seemingly unaffected by the strange wind. Ryuji watched in confusion and awe as the next series of events unfolded.

The girl raised her head and in place of her glasses, was a black and white mask. She seemed just as confused by its presence as he was, because her next course of action was to start to try and pull it off her face.

"Nnnh... Nnnngghhh! Nnaaaaahhhh!!!" She screamed, and Rjuji couldn't blame her. The visceral sound of skin tearing and the river of blood pouring down her face looked unbearably painful.

But she did it. She'd ripped the mask off.

A sinister smile overtook her face, her eyes the same shade of yellow as Kamoshida's had become. The blood that covered the majority of her face, to his horror, became to dissolve away into blue flames, her whole figure becoming consumed by blue flames.

The knights were scrambling away from her, gasping in fear, while Kamoshida had his arms raised to protect his face from the heat.

The flames twisted and took shape, becoming a much larger being that the girl stepped out of, the flames licking off her skin and clothing that was very much not the uniform she was just wearing moments ago.

The figure of flames twisted and expanded, taking almost human shape, behind her, standing tall before it too revealed itself from the flames.

Dressed in a mostly black outfit, the girl raised her hands, and so did the monster, a red suit clad demon with eyes made of fire. 

With a single gesture, the demon expanded its wings, it had wings of course it had wings, and the force of it knocked all the knights off their feets, one even crashing against the metal cell wall.

The girl was grinning like a shark, her large grey eyes wide and looking for trouble.

"W...what the..." He mumbled, eyes wide. What...what was happening? There was no way this was really real, right?

"I am the pillager of twilight- Arsene!" The demon spoke, his voice echoing across the cell and inside Ryuji's skull.

"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you." It continued, turning to the girl.

The demon was huge, easily like 7 and a half feet tall, and it was floating so it certainly loomed. It's presence could be felt in every inch of the cell.

The Demon, Arsene, it called itself, bowed to the girl, placing a hand behind his back and extending the other, like a gentleman about to make a deal.

"If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

The girl didn't hesitate. "Give me your power." She demanded.

"Hmm. Very well! Let us show this world what we can really do!" The demon laughed. "This power of mine is yours now! Run wild with it, and kill to your heart's content!"

"Who the hell are you?" Kamoshida demanded, looking toward his fallen soldiers. "Guards! Start by killing that one!" He pointed to the demon.

The knights exploded into black goo, turning into monsters with floating pumpkin heads.

"Show them the strength of my men!"

"Arsene! Let's do this!"

The girl and the demon made quick work of the monsters, and Holy shit how was that a real sentence that he was thinking right now?

"What...what was that?" Ryuji asked because he just couldn't tell what the hell was going on anymore.

The girl didn't answer him, she was too preoccupied with taking in her wardrobe change. Ryuji couldn't really blame her, it was a pretty drastic change.

Her hair was the same, a messy wave of black thick waves, falling midway down her back. The mask was back, the one she's ripped off before. It was sitting firmly in her face again and he really really hoped she wouldn't have to rip it off again.

She wore a long black trench coat that flared out into sections, almost like that Demon Arsene's wings from earlier. The coat was open, exposing skin thigh black leather pants, tucked into black leather boots with a small heel to them. She wore a white button up shirt and a grey corset that cut just under her chest in such a way that Ryuji wasn't sure he'd ever look at her the same again.

Did he think her tits were decent earlier? Forget that, past Ryuji was a moron. This girl's tits were incredible! The way the white fabric cupped and pulled, and the way the hard line of the corset cut to her figure.

She was too preoccupied looking at her red leather gloves to notice that Kamoshida was approaching her himself, rage in his eyes.

"You little..."

Ryuji wasn't going to give him the chance to touch her again, not when he could stop it this time.

He scrambles to his feet and with all his might, shoulder slammed into the bastard, knocking him off his feet.

"Ha! You like that, you son of a bitch!?" God, that felt good.

"Quick! the key!" The girl shouted, pointing to the ring of keys that Kamoshida dropped on his fall.

"R-right!" As fast as they could, before Kamoshida could gather his senses, the two teens ran from the cell and slammed the door behind them. Ryuji fumbled for a moment, but thankfully he chose the right key.

"Okay, it's locked, now let's get the hell outta here!"

\----------

Once they reached a spot where they couldn't hear Kamoshida yelling after them, or hear the metal thunking of guards on patrol, did Ryuji finally let all the questions burst forth.

"So what was that back there? With th-that demon and those monsters." He glanced down at her outfit, feeling the heat rise to his face once more. "And your clothes..."

Like Ryuji said the magic words or something, a woosh of blue flames left her standing in her uniform once more.

"Woah, it went back to normal..."

"Hey! Hey you there!"

The two of them turned to face the new voice, it sounded like a little kid almost, coming from one of the cells at the end.

"Blondie! Frizzy hair! Down here!" 

The little black and white monster cat thing was waving at them trying to get their attention.

Nu-huh. No way. This wasn't happening.

"You're not soldiers of this castle right? Get me out of here! The key is right there!" It implored, pointing in the direction of said key.

"We're trying to get the hell outta here!"

"Great! So am I! So let me out of here, and we can leave together!"

"There's no way we're making a deal with some monster cat!"

\---------

They made the deal with the monster cat. 

Morgana, it insisted on being called.

It did end up keeping true it's word, showing them a way out of the castle, and surprising the two teens when it revealed it had a demon too. It even gave the girl a few pointers on how to fight, the two of them making quick work of any of the knights they couldn't hide from.

Eventually, he didn't really understand how, but somehow the two teenagers were back in the middle of a busy retail street.

"Did...did we make it?" He asked, gasping for breath, looking around him wildly, ready for a knight in armour to come jumping out from anywhere.

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." Came a robotic voice from the girl's phone, which she'd just fished from her pocket.

"Huh? Returned?" Ryuji mumbled, trying to understand but there was just too much information to process. 

"Does that mean we got away?" That was all he cared about. Were they out of that freaky castle and away from those awful monsters?

The girl shrugged, putting her phone in her pocket. "I think so?"

"I don't know what to think anymore..." He sighed heavily, "What even was all that? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! Just what the hell is going on?!"

"What's with the yelling?" An older man's voice made them both turn and look. Aw crap, it was a pair of cops. "Are you two students of Shujin? Cutting classes are we?"

"What? No!" Ryuji protested, "We were trying to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!"

He could see the look that the girl was giving him, wide eyed and unbelievling, but it was the truth! She saw it too!

"What?" The officer sighed, looking more frustrated as the situation progressed. "Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs."

"Why would you think that?!"

"Are you his girlfriend? You can't skip school just to go on a date, you know." The second officer was talking to the girl now, ignoring his partner and Ryuji's conversation.

"No sir, I'm sorry sir." She bowed deeply at the waist, giving all three of the people around her pause. She was so formal.

"Look, just get to school. And take him with you."

"Like I was just sayin'- we already tried and ended up at a freakin' castle!"

"We passed by Shujin on the way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout anymore nonsense, I'll be calling your school on both of you, is that what you want?" The first officer threatened.

"C'mon, say something!" Ryuji pleaded with her. She saw it too! He wasn't crazy!

"Let's go, senpai." She mumbled, lowering her head and beginning to walk away quickly in the direction of school.

Seriously?! What was with this girl! He grit his teeth and jogged to catched up with her, leaving the officers behind.

"Uuh when I said say something, that's not what I meant." He grumbled down at the girl, not bothering to mask the irritation in his voice. She'd just left him to look like a moron in front of the cops! Who does that?!

"They were cops. They weren't going to believe us no matter what we said." There was a sharpness and a finality to her tone that killed any argument in his throat.

The two walked in silence on the way to the school, where, what shouldn't have been a surprise but still somehow felt like one, the school was there, exactly how he remembered seeing it Saturday.

"This doesn't make any freakin' sense..." He scratched the back of his head, they were only gone five minutes, there's no way they tore down a castle that big in that little time. "Just what's going on here?!"

"That's exactly what I want to know." Came the stern voice from at the top of the stairs leading to the school.

It was the Guidance Counselor, arms crossed and a frown carved into his face.

"We received a call from the police."

"Shit, that damn cop snitches on us after all." He cussed under his breath, as the Counselor continued.

"It's rare not to see you alone, though given the company I'm honestly not surprised at all." Ryuji frowned as the girl next to him squirmed under the glare of that pompous jerk up there.

He knew full well and good what he'd done to get on the faculties bad side, but this chick just transferred here right? What could she have possibly done?

"Now just what were you two doing, up until this time?" There was an insinuating tone that rubbed Ryuji the wrong way.

"Hey, it ain't like that! There was this castle and-"

"What's this about a castle?"

Kamoshida! But...he was dressed normal. And talking normal. Just what the hell was going on?!

"Oh Sakamoto," Kamoshida sighed dramatically. "You've changed so much since those early morning track meets. You used to have a stronger sense of responsibility."

"S-Shut up! It's your fault-"

"How dare you speak to Kamoshida-sensei that way! It's not like you have much leeway left, you know." Snapped the guidance counselor, like one of those knights protecting the king... 

"He's the one that provoked me!"

Was this guy seriously even listening to the same argument?!

"Do you want to be expelled?!"

Ryuji noticed the girl next to him flinch at those words. Shit. He hoped it would just be him getting in trouble. She didn't do anything.

"In any case, you'll have to explain yourself. Come with me."

"This is such BULLshit!" He cried, stamping his foot.

And Kamoshida, that effin creep, just laughed and waved a hand in the Counselor's direction.

"Come now, let's not be so brash. I should have been more considerate too. Let's just say we're both to blame." He smiled easily, ignoring the teenagers for now and talking directly to his fellow staff member.

"Well, if you insist, Kamoshida-sensei."

So he was off the hook?

"But you're still coming with me! It's undeniable that you're extremely late."

Not off the hook. Great.

"Fiiine." He groaned, following the teacher up the stairs and into the school. He'd have to find another time to talk to that girl about everything that happened.

Oh- so not cool! He totally forgot to exchange names with her! Shoot!

\----------

After what felt like forever of getting lectured by some old geezer, Ryuji was finally let back to class, which he slunk off too reluctantly.

He slumped into his seat, and let his head flop onto his desk, much more interested in the little bit of sky he could see from his view of the window than the idle gossip going on around him, until he caught his name in the mix.

It was the only time he cared about gossip really, but only cuz he wanted to know what rumor was going on about him that week. Last month it was that he'd joined the Yakuza and was stealing elementary school kids money to pay off his debt.

"Did you hear? Sakamoto showed up super later with the new transfer student!"

"Yeah, I heard! Supposedly, they spent the whole morning in a love motel."

S-seriously?! For real?

"I wonder how much she charged him. I bet it's not much if Sakamoto can afford it."

Wait...what?

"You think so dude? Think I should ask her after school?"

"Dude, she's probably got like, so many diseases, would you really want to risk it just for some puss?"

"...she could still give head, right, even if she's dirty?"

"I don't know man, you wanna ask Sakamoto?"

"Alright class, settle down. I know you're all excited about being let out early, but we still have one more period to get through, so let's get started."

Never in all his life had he ever been so happy for a teacher to walk into the classroom. Holy shit, what kind of rumour was that? He'd have to ask her about it later...maybe...if he could find a nice way to word it...

\--------

As soon as class let out, Ryuji grabbed his back and darted out into the hallway. It was obvious that the new kid wasn't in his class, but all second years had class on this floor, so if he just looked around enough...

There she was! Getting lectured by Kawakami-sensei. Ugh, seriously, why her? 

"...about that Sakamoto-kun? Don't get involved-" he frowned and kept walking, now more than happy to interrupt. Who the hell did these adults think they were? Trying to tell them not to hang out. Seriously. Who did they think we were? Not their parents, that for sure!

"Speak of the devil..." His former homeroom teacher sighed, looking just as put upon and tired as ever. "What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting class again..." She trailed off, as if expecting something from him.

"It ...was nothing." He managed out through gritted teeth. He didn't want to think about those stupid lying cops.

"And I see you still haven't dyed your hair back to black either..."

"Sorry 'bout that." He let it know in his tone that he was very clearly 'not-sorry', getting a little sick of this lady who wasn't even his actual teacher anymore trying to tell him what to do.

He turned his attention to the girl, moving a little closer to her personal space so he could whisper to her his plan "I'll be waiting on the rooftop. Meet me there."

He could see her nod in agreement with him, so without another word, he left.

He could hear Kawakami behind him sigh, like the whole world was against her. "See? That's why I don't want you getting involved with him."

He didn't stick around to hear the reply, just went to the roof top and pulled out his phone, ready to spend some time forum-scrolling until she showed up.

He didn't have to wait too long, the creaking of the door catching his attention. He leaned back a little in the chair he'd claimed as his, and offered her a tight smile.

"Yo. Sorry about calling you up here like this."

The girl just shrugged. Weird. She was a quiet one, he supposed. That would take some getting used to, all his old friends from the track team had been pretty outgoing and loud, so he'd have to get used to having a quiet friend.

Well, he'd just have to do the talking for the two of them then!

"I bet Kawakami's already told you all kinds of stuff about me, and warned you to stay away from me huh?"

She took a moment to pick her reply, before softly admitting, "She said you were trouble..."

"Yeah well, guess we're in the same boat then, cuz the whole school's talking about it. Your criminal record, I mean."

She sighed and looked away, her jaw tight like she wanted to say something, but was holding back.

"No wonder you were so gusty back in the castle." That caught her attention. She turned to stare at him for a long moment before sighing and sitting on top of one of the spare desks they were huddled around.

"Just what the hell was that? You remember right? How we almost got killed in a castle?"

Just saying it aloud sounded dumb, but Ryuji needed to know he wasn't crazy. The more time passed the less real it all seemed, until he touched the back of his head, or took too deep and breath and was reminded that body aches that real, don't come from nothing.

"It wasn't a dream, right? It was real?"

"I...I think so..."

It did make him feel better to hear, that he wasn't crazy, but that still didn't really solve anything.

"Well...dream or not, you saved me from Kamoshida." He smiled brightly up at her, "so uh, thanks!"

"...don't worry about it." She replied after a small moment, once again turning her gaze somewhere else.

"But man...that Kamoshida that we saw there." He muttered. "You probably don't know about them, you just got here, but there's been some long running rumors about him. Nobody ever really says anything against him though, 'cuz he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to Nationals a few times. For him to be the king of a castle...guess it just makes a sick kinda sense, you know?"

The girl just let him talk, letting him work through his thoughts. He appreciated that. It was really nice of her not to cut him off, or make him feel stupid for talking himself through his metal gymnastics.

"Oh crap! I totally forgot earlier!" He jumped to his feet, trusting a hand forward, palm open and ready for a friendly shake.

"My name is Sakamoto Ryuji! You can just call me Ryuji! It's nice to meet you! Thanks again for saving me from Kamoshida!"

The girl in front of him seemed shocked for a moment, unsure how to respond. Oh shit, did he mess it up? What did he mess up? There were so little steps to mess up, how could he mess up just introducing himself?!

The girl smiled, a bright, open smile that changed her whole face. Her eyes softened and her cheeks flushed and Ryuji could feel his own flush rising. It got worse when she took his hand, her cool fingertips leaving trails against his heated skin. One solid shake and they parted ways, Ryuji recalling his hand quickly to his side. Since when had a girl holding his hand been that big of a deal?

"I'm Kurusu Akiko, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sakamoto-kun."

Okay, so she was shy and super formal, he could help her with that, if she wanted.

But Akiko-chan huh? Alright then!

"Hahaha! Alright then!" He cried out to the sky. "Get ready for tomorrow Shujin! The two troublemakers are a team now!"

\--------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read! 
> 
> If you enjoyed, please feel free to to leave a kudos or a comment. I greatly appreciate both :)
> 
> Please forgive me if there are any mistakes, I have no beta.


	3. Chapter 3: Kawakami, Sojiro and More.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I started writing Kawakami's point of view, got over 1,000 words down, realized that it would be too short of a chapter, deleted it all, started writing Morgana's part, and then went back and rewrote Kawakami all over again, and somehow convinced myself Sojiro needed to happen twice.

Chapter 3: Kawakami, Sojiro, Morgana, Ryuji, Sojiro again.

There were only a few minutes left in the break time between classes. She had to make it through one period, lunch and then thankfully just one final period. 

Sadayo knew that she shouldn’t be thankful that a train derailed, she knew that a lot of people got hurt, but at the same time, she was just so tired and wanted to go home and sleep. Victoria didn’t want her for a shift tonight, which she was grateful for.

If she kept going this hard, she was going to put herself in the hospital, Kawakami mused to herself and she tried to blink past sleep blurred eyes and focus on the test in front of her, double checking that she was even marking the right questions.

The faculty door closed behind her and out of her peripheral, she saw movement.

Glancing up, Sadayo couldn’t help the beleaguered sigh at the sight before her.

“Unbelievable...” She muttered, tossing her red marking pen down on the table, twisting her chair around to take in her new, incredibly late, student.

The same as yesterday, Kurusu Akiko before her stood silent, still, and waiting.

“Being over half a day late, on your first day? Do you have an explanation, young lady?”

Kurusu-chan shifted her weight nervously from side to side, clutching at her bag like a lifeline.

“I...I got lost...” She finally mumbled, her voice almost inaudible over the idle chatter from the teachers on the other side of the room. Gossiping about her, and her new trouble student, no doubt.

Sadayo scoffed off the excuse for what it clearly was, an excuse. “How could you have been lost for this long? It’s almost lunchtime!”

There was a flinch in the girl's shoulder and her head ducked down, silently accepting the accusations. Kurusu-chan was tense, her hands nervously wringing at her bag straps.

Sheesh, what a pain. What right did she have to look so sad and put upon? It wasn’t like she was in Kawakami’s situation! This girl had a criminal record! She had no one to blame but herself, so honestly, she kinda deserved it.

Still... the girl looked like she was waiting for the executioner's blade to drop on her neck or something. Something twisted in her gut uncomfortably, but she decided to ignore it for the time being. It would be more hassle than it was worth to try and kick her out on her first day.

Besides, if she kept up like this, she’d get herself expelled in no time.

“Well...it is true you probably don't know the area yet, but you’re still way too late.” Best just to move on with the day and let this problem dig her own grave.

“Can you atleast try and pull yourself together?” It was something Kawakami said to herself in the mirror almost every morning, hopefully this girl could try and do the same. 

“But more importantly, I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-kun?”

“...’that’ Sakamoto?” Kurusu asked, raising her head slightly, finally looking her in the face.

“We’re not talking about that troublemaker, we’re talking about you.” Sadayo kept her tone clipped. “You have a strict no dating rule, we went over this yesterday! Do you even care about your future?”

That got a reaction out of the girl, her head jerking from side to side, denials slipping forth one after the other.

“N-no! I’m not-! He didn’t-! I got lost and he helped me find the school, that’s it!”

Kawakami was taken back by the sincerity in Kurusu’s voice, the watery waver, how she looked like she was about to cry.

“C-Calm down. I believe you, and I’ll let it slide this time.” Sadayo stuttered, a little taken aback by the sudden burst of panic from the student before her.

Kurusu bowed deeply at her waist, messy black hair flopping forward, no doubtably making the unruly locks even worse than before.

“Thank you Kawakami-sensei. Thank you so much for believing me.” It was a struggle to hear her, clearly, given how softly she was speaking.

“R-Right...” Sadayo cleared her throat and looked away uncomfortably. Something wasn’t sitting right in her chest, but she was far too tired to try and think it through now.

“Just...do me a favor and don’t get involved with him, okay? He’s nothing but trouble.” Thinking back on the events of the previous year, she sighed a little. She kind of missed the old Sakamoto-kun. The happy, smiling, boisterous boy with the spiky black hair who was always early to school.

“He wasn’t like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though...” Had she said that aloud. She hadn’t really meant to. A quick glance at the clock showed that more time passed than she had anticipated.

“...Anyway. Break’s almost over.” She muttered to herself, standing up and gathering a few things from her desk. Her red marking pen, the stack of tests, making sure to put a divider between the marked and unmarked one. “Classes are ending after fifth period today, due to the subway accident. I’ll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Follow me.”

Kurusu was silent, following obediently behind her sensei as they walked through the halls towards class.

“By the way,” Kawakami slowed her pace to a stop, looking over her shoulder at her newest student. “When you introduce yourself... don't say anything unnecessary, be serious about it, and just get it over with.”

The raven haired student nodded, her expression unreadable behind those glasses of hers, the hallway lights were reflecting off them in such a way Sadayo couldn’t see her eyes.

With a slight roll of her eyes, because honestly, where was the respect?

“Do you think that’s her?” She could hear a student ask a friend as they walked past. “The one in the rumors?”

“No way! Seriously?”

Rumors were already spreading huh? It was none of Kawakami’s concern.

She had a class to teach, and afterwards, once she got home, maybe a bottle of wine to drink.

\--------------------------------------------

With every passing minute that the doorbell didn’t ring, was another minute Sojiro’s blood pressure was rising, he could feel it. 

He refused to let himself pace back and forth behind the counter, like some concerned parent, because that was certainly not what he was, thank you very much. So instead he leaned against the wall, arms crossed angrily, tapping his foot impatiently.

Sojiro was livid.

Seriously! The nerve of that brat! She really did think she could play him for a fool! He was mad at her, and himself! After last night, he thought they’d come to an understanding of some sorts, but when he got a phone call from the School, informing him that not only was Kurusu several HOURS late, but that police had caught her wondering the streets with some boy!

He was going to give that girl a piece of his mind once she got home, just she wait...

He had half a mind to reach into his pocket and pull out another cigarette, but he’d already smoked through half a pack today alone. Damn that brat! She was already more trouble than she was worth.

When the bells did finally jingle, and Akiko finally walked into the store, Sojiro couldn’t stop himself from raising his voice.

“Hey!”

The girl startled a little, freezing in place. Did she seriously think she could just sneak past him and hide in the attic without consequence? The nerve!

“I got a call from your school. Over half a day late, on your first day? Caught by the police, with a boy? What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“I-... I’m sorry.” She bowed deeply, her voice soft, and void of any emotion, which only served to make him angier. She couldn’t just use pleasantries to get out of trouble! That’s how he let his guard down in the first place and actually started to have a little faith in her!

“Ugh, just when I was thinking you had it together this morning! I told you! You get caught doing that shit again, I’m reporting you to your probation officer!”

That sparked a more emotional response from her.

She looked up at Sojiro, eyes wide, mouth fumbling for words. She was growing paler by the moment.

“N-no, please...I...I wasnt-! It wasn’t like that! I got lost and, and, and he offered to walk me to school, but then we just got even more lost and then these, these, these, these guys, these guys just g-ganged up on us and he, he got hurt trying to get me out of there, a-and we, we-”

Sojiro was shocked to see the panic rolling off this girl. She was struggling to breath, gasping around every other word. Where those tears? Oh shit, teenage girl, crying, oh shit fuck.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down!” He raised his hands defensively.

Kurusu immediately stopped her rambling, but it took her much longer to get her breathing under control, hiccuping gasps between muffled whimpers of distress.

Shit, this was not the talk he’d planned in his head. In all the imagined scenarios, he hadn’t really expected panic crying.

Akiko was staring at him, her breathing slowly returning to normal, her eyes so intense, that Sojiro had to look away while he thought about his next course of action.

“Look....just... behave yourself. You are on probation, you know. One slip and your life is over.”

That was basically the gist of what he’d planned on lecturing her about any right? He hadn’t really planned on calling her probation officer, it was just a threat to remind her of how little wiggle room she had here.

Whatever he was about to say next was cut off by his phone ringing. Futaba? Oh right...it was getting to be about that time...Still, it was a little early.

“Hey,” He smiled as he spoke, putting a happier tone to his voice “What’s up?”

“H-hehey Sojiro? Were we going to have take-out tonight?” She asked, sounding nervous.

“...Yeah, that was the plan. I’m just closing up the shop now. I’ll be home in half an hour, as promised.” Was she okay? Was she having another episode? She didn’t sound right.

Sojiro glanced up and saw that Akiko was still where he’d left her, staring at him expectantly, shaking in her shoes. He pulled the phone away for a moment, covering the receiver so as to make sure Futaba didn’t think his tone was directed at her. 

“What are you still standing around for? Get upstairs and out of sight already.” She didn’t need to be told twice, scampering past and quickly vanishing up the stairs.

“Don’t forget to lock up the doors and turn off the lights!” He shouted after her, making sure to put enough volume in that she could certainly hear him.

He went back to his call with Futaba, rolling his eyes. Damn attic brat didn’t know how lucky she had it.

“W-were you talking to a customer like that?” Futaba asked, sounding really nervous. Shoot. Guess he hadn’t done a good enough job muffling the receiver.

“No, just some part-timer I hired.” He chuckled a little. Maybe he should put her to work. She could wash the dishes for him, at the very least. It would keep her from ‘getting lost’ and bumping into more boys, at the very least.

“I’m coming home now.”

There was a beer or two in his fridge calling his name, and it was take-out night after all. Without another word to his ward in the attic, Sojiro left LeBlanc and headed home, chatting with Futaba about what she wanted to eat and which place would be the best to get it from.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

There was that weird sensation again. It made his fur stand on end, just like it had yesterday.

It had happened a little while before those two morons rescued him, and then very shortly after they managed to escape.

No doubt about it, someone or someones, had just entered the Palace. He'd better hurry up and go check it out.

With ca-...stylish, rouge-like reflexes, he jumped up to the window sill and looked for a quick way down.

Better to go outside the castle. Ever since those two left yesterday, security had been high, the hallways practically crawling with Shadows.

He could hear the blonde one from here, and see both their ridiculous sets of hair running straight into the main courtyard, absolutely no tact whatsoever.

What amateurs! They were so lucky that all forces were drawn inside from the security alarm. It took a little while, and some skill, if he did say so himself, for Morgana to navigate down the building safely, and he managed to overheard a decent amount in that time.

"Your clothes!" cried the loud boy. "That happened last time too right? But where's that demon guy? What's going on?” What was that boy’s name again? He’d told Morgana yesterday. Ryuk? Ryuon? Ryuji?

There was a silence, as the Persona user took in the details of her true form of rebellions image. What her rebellious spirit saw of itself.

"...Do I...look okay?"

"Dude you look badass! Seriously awesome!"

“...Thanks.”

“Ehehehe... Ahem, I mean, my point is, you didn’t get changed yourself, right? So what the eff is going on here?! This makes no sense at all, we don’t live in some magical girl anime, right? Right?!”

“Hey!” Morgana said sharply, finally in a position to reveal himself, jumping down from the roof at last. “Stop making a commotion.”

The blonde one pointed at him, accusatorily. “You! Monster cat! Oh man I guess it is true, We are in a magical girl anime? There’s even a talking cat!”

“I am not a cat!” Morgana hissed at the boorish brute, hairs standing on end. “I’m Morgana! Morgana!”

“But you look like a cat...” he continued to protest.

“And you look like a moron!” Morgana hissed, temper rising

“Stop fighting, Morgana, Ryuji.” The Persona user interrupted, stepping between them.

“But he started it!” The blonde, Ryuji cried.

Morgana was willing to be the bigger man and let it slide for now. “Look, I came down here to warn you, ever since you two left yesterday, the castle’s been on high alert. You two barely made it out yesterday! Why would you come back?”

“What is this place?” asked Ryuji, ignoring Morgana’s question for now. “Is this...the school?”

“That’s right.” He nodded. Good, maybe the blonde wasn’t as stupid as he looked.

“But it’s a castle!” Or he could just be a moron after all.

“The castle IS the school.” Morgana sighed. “But only to this castle’s ruler.”

“Ruler?” the girl asked, tilting her head to the side. Morgana still didn’t know her name, he’d have to catch that at some point.

“The King here. I think you guys called him Kamoshida? This is how his distorted heart views the school.”

“Kamoshida? Distorted?” Ryuji repeated back before snapping. “Nngh, Explain it in a way that makes sense!”

“I shouldn’t have expected a moron to get it...” He muttered, shaking his head.

“What’d you say?!” the boy took a threatening step close, hands clenched angrily at his sides.

The girl looked like she was maybe about to step in between again, but all three were interrupted by a scream, permeating through the castle walls, echoing into the Metaverse no one else to hear.

Ryuji looked pale, glancing around for clues. “What was that?”

“It must be the slaves captive here.” Morgana replied, what was he expecting? This was a Distorted Desire after all.

“For real?”

Another scream, the same voice as before, cut through the air like a knife.

“Oh shit...it’s for real!” Ryuji turned wide eyed to Morgana, looking upset. “We saw other guys being held captive here yesterday, I’m pretty sure they’re from our school. They...you think they’re being tortured in there?”

Morgana nodded. “Most likely on Kamoshida’s orders. It’s nothing out of the ordinary; it’s like that every day here. Not to mention that you two escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper...”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Ryuji?” Morgana flinched, not expecting that level of vitriol in the young teens’ tone, nor for the teen to take a running start as to slam his body weight into the main doors, now locked shut after the breakout yesterday.

“This is bullshit! You hear me, Kamoshida!?” He screamed.

“That’s not going to open the door, you know...” Morgana sighed. What a moron. He was just going to hurt his shoulder and his throat by doing that. “But...you do seem to have your reasons...”

People didn’t just get that angry for no good reason, after all.

“Hey! Monamona!” Ryuji snapped, whipping around to face him.

W-was he serious? “It’s. Morgana.” He growled.

“Whatever. Do you know where those voices are coming from?”

Huh? “You want me to take you to them?” This punk would get himself killed if he went in by himself, and with the high alert, even if Morgana did take him, just going through with Zorro, might not be enough.

“Well...I guess I could guide you there. But only if she comes with us.” He raised a paw and pointed at the girl whose name he’d yet to learn.

“Huh? You mean Akiko?”

Akiko huh? That meant Shining child right? Or was it Autumn child?

That had both teens taken aback for a moment, both taking a moment to look at each other before she simply shrugged and nodded.

“Let’s go.” Her voice didn’t hold much passion, but he liked the spark in her eye.

Perfect! He couldn’t explain it, but something in his gut was telling him to stick by her. She was the only other Persona user he’d encountered, so, maybe it was a sense of comradery? Whatever it was, his gut feeling hadn’t been wrong yet!

“It’s settled then! Follow me and listen up! I got a few tips and tricks to teach you as we go!”

\--------

“Wait a minute... were you planning on taking these guys out of here?” He asked in disbelief. He’d been wondering what Ryuji’s goal in coming here today was, but to think it would be this?!

“We can’t just leave ‘em here!” The teen cried, looking distressed.

“How stupid can you be?” Morgana sighed, feeling a headache forming. He ignored Ryuji’s protest before continuing. “These are only humans in Kamoshida’s cognition! They aren’t real humans that have entered from reality like you two have. They’re not real! There’s no point in saving them! They’re different from the real ones, in the real world. They’re like....extremely similar-looking dolls.”

“The hell?! Why’s it gotta be so complicated?!” Ryuji shook his head before sighing, his shoulders dropping dramatically. “So the school’s a castle, and the students are slaves. Heh. It’s so on point it makes me sick. This really is the inside of that asshole’s head!”

At least it seemed like Ryuji understood what was happening a bit more now. “Still...this is horrible.” Morgana wouldn’t lie, as he looked out uncomfortably at the cognitions that were being beaten relentlessly. “This must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too.”

“In the real world too...” Ryuji looked pale, like he could be sick at any moment. His eyes widened though, and Morgana could see the gears turning in those bright brown eyes. “Wait... I know these guys! They’re all members of the volleyball team- the one Kamoshida coaches!”

“They must be being physically abused like this everyday...they’re so beaten up...” He mumbled, starting to understand why Ryuji was so passionate about hating this Kamoshida guy. Morgana just didn’t like him because that jerk had kicked him and thrown him in a cell, but for Ryuji to have this guy as a teacher, everyday?

“I heard the rumors...” Ryuji mumbled, looking out over the awful scene below, unable to look away. “That Kamoshida’s usin’ physical punishment. I never put it past him, I know better than anyone at this school what that asshole can do, but to think-” he shook his head looking confused and lost.

“If it’s this wide spread, why hasn’t it been reported to the police?” Ryuji asked, brow tight in concentration. “One or two kids, sure, but the whole volleyball team?”

Akiko spoke up, catching the attention of both Morgana and Ryuji. “They must think it’s worth it... Kamoshida’s an olympic medalist right? Think about how good it looks on college applications, to be coached by an olympian...”

Morgana had to give it to her, Akiko may be quiet, but the girl was smart. This was the most he’d heard her speak before, he thought, and he was surprised. Though articulate and extremely polite, her voice was soft, and void of much emotion.

“But still!” Ryuji protested, looking stricten. “To put up with abuse like this?! Daily?!”

Akiko clenched her jaw and looked away. “...It’s not forever. Highschool only lasts three years...” Her voice was tight, small. Both Ryuji and Morgana frowned.

“That doesn’t matter! Three years, Three months, three days! Abuse is wrong and they shouldn’t have to put up with it just for the sake of their future!”

Morgana agreed with Ryuji, nodding along with the blonde's words. He must say, he didn’t like the naked look of shock that took over the Persona users face before she slid her mask of indifference back into place.

He’d have to keep an eye on this one, Morgana vowed to himself, whether she liked it or not.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Damnit! They’d taken too long trying to memorize the faces of those cognitive slaves, and they’d gotten caught before they would make it all the way back to the infiltration point.

There were too many shadows for just two Persona users, and they had been surrounded, and Morgana had fallen to the floor first, with Akiko being knocked to her knees shortly after.

He watched as Akiko struggled to try and raised herself up, her arms shaking under her own weight, before another Knight, one much larger than all the one’s they’d faced before, slammed a foot into the square of her back, pinning her to the floor with a breathless gasp.

Ryuji sank to his knees, damn it! He’d never felt so useless before! What could he do though?

“This...this can’t be happening...” the blond mumbled. This wasn’t good. Even with the power of those Persona things, they still hadn't stood a chance...

“Ahahaha!” King Kamoshida laughed, pressing more weight into the cat’s back. “I bet you simply came here on a whim and it ended like this! Isn’t that right?”

“N-No-!” He cried, pitching forward slightly, his eyes darting between Morgana and Akiko, desperately. There was nothing he could do!

“What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly...” Kamoshida sneered, “How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in having supervised track practice last year?”

“That wasn’t no practice! It was just physical abuse!” Ryuji cried, slamming his hands against the floor. “You just didn’t like our team!”

“It was nothing but an eyesore.” Kamoshida spat, the blatant disgust in his voice. “The only one who needs to achieve results around here, is me! That coach who got fired was useless too... Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would have settled it with only breaking his star’s leg.”

“...what?” Ryuji gasped, going stiff. The blood in his veins went cold and he felt like time had stopped for a moment. Kamoshida...he admitted that he did it on purpose....he’d broken his leg on purpose....he’d ruined his life on purpose! And to what?! To get rid of the track team because he was- was jealous!?

“Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will just call it self-defense again, you know!” Kamoshida laughed, happily goading on the teens’ emotional distress.

“D-Damnit....not only can I not run anymore...but the track teams gone too now ‘cause of this asshole!” He cried, curling in on himself. Why? Why?! Why did Kamoshida hate him that much!?

He thought he heard Morgana mumbling to himself, but whatever it was it was but off by a cry of pain as Kamoshida twisted his heel.

“Once these two are dealt with, you’re next.” Kamoshida taunted before laughing like the ‘effing psychopath he was!

“Ryuji!” Morgana cried.

“Please! You can't just let him win!” Akiko’s voice caught him off guard. He hadn’t heard her that emotional since yesterday, in the cell, when she was trying to save him...

“...You’re right.” He realized, his body shaking with adrenaline as he brought himself backup to his feet. “Everything that was important to me was taken by him.... I’ll never get ‘em back!”

Kamoshida laughed, tossing his head back. “Look on and watch! As these hopeless scum die for nothing! Because they sided with trash like you.”

That ball of hate and rage was back, growing stronger than ever. It felt like lightning under his skin, ready to crack at any point.

“No...” He realized, fully standing tall. “That’s what you are! All you think about is using people... You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida!”

One step, two steps, Ryuji approached the pathetic excuse for a teacher.

“W-What are you doing?” The king looked to his knights, who watched on silently. “Stop him!” the grown man sneered. It made Ryuji sick.

“Stop lookin’ down on me... with that stupid smile on your face!” He screamed, feeling that lightning crackle and jolt violently, finally exploding forth.

‘Finally....You made me wait quite a while.’ A voice boomed in his head like thunder and agony followed. It felt like his blood was boiling, his skin was crawling! Every nerve was being electrocuted over and over!

He was screaming, he was clutching at his head, he was writhing on the ground. It hurt! It hurt too bad!

‘You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact.’

He couldn’t breath, the voice was coming from everywhere! It was all around him, crushing him from all sides! It was surrounding him! Consuming him!

‘Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The ‘other’ you who exists within desires it thus...’

No he was wrong, the voice wasn’t consuming him...

‘Am I thou, thou art I...’

The voice WAS him!

‘There is no turning back! The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!’

Once he accepted it, that the pain, that the voice, that it was him. It all stopped. Ryuji struggled to catch his breath, righting himself. His friend was in trouble damn it... he didn’t have time to sit there screaming about some headache!

“What can you do?” Asked the guard who was standing on his friend, before raising his blade, his sight set on Akiko’s neck. “Cower in fear and watch!”

He could still fight dammit...he could still save his friend, but first...this mask on his face... it needed to go.

“Nnng...Nggghh....HRAAAAAGHHHH!”

Power exploded forth from him, ripping through his body and tingling him to his bone.

He could feel him now, fully, and Ryuji smirked as the heaviness of Captain Kidd's power became his own.

“Right on... Wassup Persona?” Is this what Akiko and Mona felt when they used their Persona’s? “This effin’ rocks!”

He watched as Akiko and Morgana brought themselves back to their feets, now that the guards were blown back by power of Captain Kidd’s arrival. They wasted no time rushing to his side. 

“Now that I got this power, it’s time for payback!” He vowed, pointing at the large knight, the one who’d just threatened to kill his friend. “Yo....I’m ready.”

“Nngh.. Don’t mock me you brat!”

“Blast him away, Captain Kidd!”

\------------

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.” It was that robot lady voice again, coming from Akiko’s phone, like yesterday.

“Thank god we’re back!” He sighed, flopping his back against the alley wall and sliding down so he was sitting on the ground. He didn’t care how dirty it was, his legs felt like pudding.

He looked over to Akiko, who wasn’t much better than him, sitting on her knees, hands on the ground trying to catch her own breath.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into that.” Ryuji sighed, watching as Akiko shook her head a little, brushing off his apology. If she wanted to change the subject, he’d let her, for now.

“Uugh I’m dead tired... How you holdin’ up?”

Akiko paused, looking down at herself as if to take stock of her physical state. She gasped sharply, struggling to her feet, looking panicked. Her knees wobbled and for a moment, Ryuji thought for sure she was going to fall.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy! Are you okay? What’s up?” He struggled to his feet a lot quicker than she did, and took her by the arm to help steady her, but she pushed him away/

Akiko’s breathing was back to laboured, getting worse by the second. “I-I...my tights... I got my tights all dirty!” Her hands were shaking as she tried to brush off the bits of dirt and mud that clung to the fabric.

Ryuji couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips. “What, for real? We could have died back there and-”

“Everybody thinks I’m a whore and now my knees are dirty!” There was a shrieking panic to her voice, a level of hysterical that slapped Ryuji across the face.

“Woah...hey...come on.” He tried to comfort her, but that didn’t seem to help, as her bottom lip began to tremble, tears welling in her grey eyes. Ryuji was the one panicking now! How the hell did he deal with girl-crying!? “Y-You can hardly notice...your leggings are so dark, I’m sure no one will tell.”

She sniffled, shaking her head. “They’re looking for it....everyones looking, watching me... waiting for me to mess up!” Akiko was using her jacket sleeve to try and dry her face, her eyes red and puffy behind her glasses, nose red and runny.

Ryuji bit his lip. So it sounded like the rumors were true to some degree... shit. Well, it was too late to regret his decision now! He was friends with this girl, so damn it, he was going to help her!

“...Come on...I know this udon place not too far from here.” Ryuji gestured towards the direction of the shop, knowing it wasn’t too much of a walk. Didn’t want to risk bumping into other Shujin students and have them seeing Akiko look like this, if that’s what she was so worried about. “We can get some food and you can use the bathroom to try and clean up a bit, okay?”

It took Akiko a moment, but eventually she agreed, nodded quietly.

He offered her his arm. “Here. Your legs were looking a little wobbly earlier, you can lean on me till we get there, if you want.”

“I... Sorry... It’s best if I don’t.” She mumbled, looking away.

“What?” The hell did that mean?

“N-Nothing against you, Sakamoto-kun.” Akiko scrambled to explain, obviously catching the offense in his tone, looking off to the side. “I a-apprecate the offer but I’m not allowed to date and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Even if this isn’t a date! People could think it's a date! I could still get expelled!”

That...just raised way more questions than it answered.

“Wait, wait...the hell you mean you’re not allowed to date? You got strict parents or something?”

Akiko worried her bottom lip between her teeth, looking uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation, and Ryuji sighed a little. 

“Listen, you don’t have to explain if you don’t want to but, like...I’m your friend, okay? You can talk to me, I’m here to listen.”

He sighed and scratched the back of his head, looking over towards the mouth of the alley way, he saw both their book bags, laying on the ground. He walked over to pick them both up, throwing his own over his shoulder, and turning around to offer Akiko’s hers.

He paused, taken aback by Akiko.

She was crying again, but smiling at the same time. Tears trickled down her cheeks, leaving sparking trails against her skin, but she was smiling at him, her eyes almost closed, she was smiling so wide.

“Thank you...” She mumbled before laughing a little to herself and using her sleeve to wipe at her eyes again. “I’m sorry...I’m being silly...”

“D-Don’t worry about it...” He mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. Geez, what the heck? He’d never understand girls. He turned around and started walking out of the alley, wanting to leave before he somehow made them more awkward. 

“Come on. Let’s go.” If he tried to sound confident, he could become confident, right?

“I-if you really want to listen...I could tell you everything... while we wait for our food...” Akiko offered from behind him, following just a pace or two behind him and Ryuji was reminded of how his grandma followed his grandfather everywhere. The idea of it made him flush, and slow his pace to match her’s so they were walking side by side.

“Alright, but don’t push yourself okay?” He replied. “We’ve both been through a lot today...”

“...Yeah...”

The two walked the rest of the way to the udon shop, it was a small spot, a hole in the wall kinda place and the two took a seat at the bar, after Akiko asked to used the bathroom, and came back with two rather large wet, but thankfully clean, spots on her knees.

Akiko didn’t know the menu like Ryuji did, he used to eat here practically every other night when he was running during the winter times. He made suggestions, basically telling her to order what he ordered, because while everything on the menu here was great, there was just something amazing about the tsukimi udon that just hit differently.

Akiko didn’t protest, letting the blonde order for her, and eventually, the two were left alone to wait for their food.

Awkwardly, Ryuji cleared his throat a little, searching at his head. "You know... You don't have to if you-"

Akiko shook her head, cutting him off. "...it's fine..."

Ryuji watched as the girl on his left fiddled nervously with her hands before she took a deep breath and started her story.

“A couple months ago... I was walking home from school.” She kept her voice neutral, and calm, like she was reading a passage from a book.

“I had stayed late because there was this project due the next week that I wanted to make sure I had gotten right...” She bit her lip, trailing off her a moment, as if considering her next words. 

“I...I was just a few blocks from home when this...this car pulled up from behind me...and it slowed to match my pace.” Her voice hitched, and Ryuji felt his stomach drop, he could already get the feeling of where this might be leading. He could tell that she was doing her best to remain impassive, and neutral in her expression.

“T...The window rolled down and this man stuck his head out from the back seat...He was drunk...I could smell the alcohol from where I was.” Ryuji could see that she was struggling. Hesitantly, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it lightly. Like his Mom would do for him when he was upset, and wanted her to comfort him. 

“He told me to get into his car.” Akiko’s voice cracked a little, before she sniffled, swallowing, trying to compose herself. “I...I told him no thank you, I was walking home and needed to go...He...He grabbed me by my skirt.”

Ryuji had suspected it was going this way but to hear her say it...He bit the inside of his lip to keep from cursing out loud. His blood was both boiling, and running ice cold at the same time.

“I don’t remember much after that...” She whispered. “I know that he tried to pull me into his car, and that I...I did something to his face...He was bleeding and screaming about how he’d sue, and there was blood all over my hands...” Akiko took a moment to breath, and Ryuji was worried for a moment that she might get sick. Honestly.he felt like he was gonna be sick!

“The police came and he lied to them... said that... that I was a prostitute! That he’d picked me for the night and that I had attacked him when he didn’t pay me enough. The police believed him, because his driver vouched for him. My f-family...” She paused, gathering. “My family didn’t believe me.” 

“I was arrested for assault and underage prositution and because....” Her voice cracked, trailing off again for a moment as she composed herself, rubbing at her eyes.

“Instead of going to juvenile, the courts suggested that I spend my probation away from my hometown. So...yeah... here I am.” Akiko finished, shrugging her shoulders as if that was that and everything was over and done about it. Ryuji couldn’t believe she wasn’t more upset about this! He was already upset, but seeing how resigned she was about her own situation just made him even more upset!

“Here’s your food kids! Enjoy!” They were interrupted by the waiter, bringing them their food.

It was then that Ryuji realized he still had a hand on her shoulder. He took his hand back quickly, sitting straighter in his chair, like the waiter had just caught him doing a bad thing.

“Thank you very much.” Akiko bowed in her seat.  
“T-Thanks...” Ryuji muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

Akiko broke apart her chopsticks and started to eat her food, oblivious to the look of outrage on Ryuji’s face.

“The hell, man!” He finally snapped after a moment of mulling it over in his head, frustrated that it still wasn’t making any sense. “He got away scott-free?! What the hell!?”

“It’s in the past...” was Akiko’s soft, emotionless reply, ducking her head further into her bowl of udon, the steam from the heat fogging up her glasses, making it even harder to hear her face.

“Are you for real?” He asked, in complete disbelief. “If it was me, I wouldn’t calm down until I punched that dick in the face over and over and over until he had no face left!” He couldn’t believe that she was just gonna be okay, letting some jerk completely destroy her life like that?! What the hell?!

“S-sakamoto-kun...people are looking...”

“Oh..s-sorry.” He lowered his voice and slouched in his seat, now that he was aware of it, he could feel the heavy gaze of the people around them watching him.

“So...” He picked up his own bowl and started to eat. “Nobody believed you, or even wanted to hear what you had to say huh...We might be even more alike than I originally thought.”

“Hmm?” Akiko hummed around a mouthful of noodles, causing him to laugh for a moment, not anticipating someone who normally spoke and behaved so politely to do something as silly as talk with a mouthful of food.

“You’re smart...you heard Kamoshida in there... I did something stupid, he broke my leg, and now everyone thinks it my fault. So what I'm saying I guess... it's like...I guess we both get treated like we’re a pain in the ass by the people around us... like we don’t belong. ”

Akiko swallowed her food and lowered her bowl back down to the bar, nodding solemnly. She understood where he was coming from it seemed.

Ryuji looked down at the bowl of udon and egg in front of him and remembered an old game he used to play with himself when it came to decision making.

Nodding a little to himself, Ryuji picked up the bowl and quickly began to chug the broth, drinking as much as he could before he had to take a breath. 

There was just a little less than half left.

Shit. He’d bet himself if he could drink at least the broth left, in one go, he’d ask to walk her home.

Well, he inhaled, there was no turning back now.

“Hey, the place they got you staying...where’s it at?”

“Yongen.” Akiko replied simply, using her chopsticks to pick at her egg, breaking it into smaller pieces and mixing them into the broth.

It took him a minute to remember how the hell to get to Yongen from here, it wasn’t an area he usually visited.

“It’s rush hour on the subways, I uh... I could take them back with you, if you want. You know, so you don’t have to deal with any groupers.”

“T-That’s a thing?” Akiko gasped, looking up at Ryuji with wide eyes. “I-I thought it was just a hentai thing!”

“W-What!? Of course it’s a real thing, there’s news stories all the time and- wait...you know hentai stuff?”

Ryuji watched with glee as a bright red blush climbed to Akiko’s cheeks, her normally calm composure slipping in embarrassment.

“N-No!”

“Ahaha! You so do!” He teased, laughing a little. Shit, it felt good to have a friend again! He was almost looking forward to school tomorrow now!

Ryuji footed the bill, paying for both their bowls, and the two teenagers shuffled out of the store. Making their way to the station slowly, they moved sluggishly. All that running around and fighting in that other world...it was way worse than any track meet Ryuji had done in his life, every muscle ached, even ones he didn’t know he had.

“So...what do you think we should do about Kamoshida?” Ryuji found himself asking as they got closer to the station.

“The teacher, or the king?”

Just thinking about it gave Ryuji a headache. There really were two of those Bastards, huh...

“The real one...I think.” He clarified. “So, first, I was thinking of hitting up those guys that were being kept as slaves. The volleyball rally’s tomorrow, so the whole team should be at school, and we have no classes in the afternoon, which means we can walk around freely and talk to them, see if they’d be willing to speak up about his abuse!”

“Lower your voice, people are looking.” Akiko mumbled, looking anywhere else but him.

“Ah...right..sorry.”

Ryuji hated rush hour on the subways, it was gross just how many people could be shoved tightly together into one space. Like a little box of hell.

He made sure to stand near Akiko, who hugged her bag tightly to herself, trying to make herself as small as possible.

“Hey.” He started, waiting for her to look up and acknowledge him before continuing. “If anyone does anything, just grab my arm, and we can switch spots, okay?”

Akiko looked up at him, blank faced and wide eyed, nodding numbly, as if shocked by his words. The hell? This was the whole point of him riding the subway with her! Silly girl. 

Eventually they made it to Yongen, the subways too crowded for them to do any real talking on the way over.

Akiko insisted that they parted ways at the station, she didn’t want her guardian to see her with a boy and get the wrong impression. It kinda stung, but Ryuji understood completely and didn’t blame her at all. While he hated it, he did understand her situation. People thought that she'd been a part of compensated dating or whatever, so she couldn’t be seen dating at all.

After asking to exchange chat IDs, they said goodbye for the night and parted ways, Ryuji getting back onto the train, and Akiko walking back to...wherever her temporary home was in that kitchky little suburb. 

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time, and way too many deleted attempts before Ryuji finally just hit send before hit nerves got the better of him.

 **Ryuji:** Hey, I decided to just go ahead and message you.

Oh shit, that meant nothing to her!

 **Ryuji:** It’s Ryuji, btw.

There wasn’t an immediate reply, so he felt the need to ask.

 **Ryuji:** Can you see this?

He watched as the little bar at the side indicated that someone was typing before Akiko replied.

 **Akiko:** Nope.

 **Ryuji:** You SO can! Lol!

 **Ryuji:** I’m gonna be counting on you tomorrow, okay? We just gotta find a way to get solid evidence of the beatings

 **Akiko:** Got it.

 **Ryuji:** You’re so awesome, dude!

 **Ryuji:** Welp! See you tomorrow!

He tucked his phone away and smiled.

Yeah, holy shit did it feel good to have a friend again.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Sojiro hated to admit it, but the crossword was giving him a hard time again. He was stuck on those damn medium length words, there were just too many of them!

The shop bells dingles, bringing him a welcomed distraction from the puzzle.

“Ah, you’re back. I take it you actually went to school today?” There hadn’t been a call from the school, but he wanted to hear her say it.

Akiko nodded, doing her best to avoid looking at him in the face, keeping her gaze down and towards the floor, doing her best to look like a kicked puppy.

“Well...I take it you learned your lesson after what happened yesterday.” He sighed and stretched, putting the paper on the bar, abandoning it for the time being. “Eh, as long as you’re not getting into trouble, I don’t care what you do, but trust me, start trouble, and you’ll be gone.” 

He narrowed his gaze, and he gave her appearance a once over. Her hair was messy, as per usual, her uniform was in place, and clean, but she still seemed nervous, like she was hiding something from him.

“In case you forgot, your life if not a free one right now.”

Akiko nodded in agreement, her head low and face unreadable. Her phone beeped from her pocket and Sojiro watched as she read and replied to whoever was messaging her.

The cafe owner watched as a small smile climbed up her lips, brightening her features and softening her aura. The girl looked miserable when she first stepped into the shop.

“..Sheesh, are you even listening to me?” He asked, once she put her phone away again. Best not to give her any wiggle room, he’d seen what she could do with it.

“Look...just...stay away from bad influences, okay?” He signed before standing up. “Did you want some dinner before I go? I have curry in the fridge.”

Akiko bowed, catching him off guard.

“No thank you Sakura-san. I...I had Udon with a friend after school.”

A friend? Well, that was something.

“Oh yeah? What’s her name? She the one you messaging?”

Akiko hesitated for a long moment before nodding and replying softly. “...Sakamoto-chan.”

“Is she in your grade?”

Akiko nodded a little, refusing to look anywhere near his general direction. She was staring at the back of the shop, towards the staircase. Looks like she wanted to have this conversation just about as much as he wanted to.

“Well, good. I’m glad you’re making friends.” Sojiro muttered. “I’m gonna head home for the night. I’ll lock the store up, so don’t go wandering out.”

Akiko nodded at him, and quickly scurried past him, rushing for the stairs.

Well, now that that was settled, Sojiro wasted no time in closing up the shop and locking the door behind him.

He fished out a cigarette and lit it up, taking a deep drag before heading off into the direction of home.

Futaba left her room for breakfast today, Sojiro had a decent lunch rush, and the attic rat didn’t cause any problems.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be a good day too, he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always loved how it's kinda implied in that scene where Sojiro is raising his voice at protag, Futaba calls to try and interrupt the fight. I think it's cute.


	4. Chapter 4: Ann, Morgana...

Chapter 4: Ann, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Ann once again.

“Have you heard? Sakamoto’s been trying to get the volleyball team to say shit about Kamoshida.”

“Yeah, dude! It’s crazy! You think that guy would learn!”

“Ahaha, you’re right! That guy can be so stupid sometimes! Doesn’t he understand that that team is like, super loyal to Kamoshida? They’re not gonna turn on him!”

“Seriously, no way Kamoshida’s gonna let him stick around after this.”

“Obviously. Oh! maybe that new girl will get kicked out too! I’ve seen the two of them sneaking off with each other, all day! Talk about totally sleazy!”

Ann frowned as she listened to the gossip coming from the two girls sitting at the table behind hers.

That Sakamoto...What trouble could he be getting into now?

Shiho still hadn’t texted her back about when they could meet up this weekend and Ann was getting impatient.

Glancing out the window, Ann happened to see a long black mess of hair and a red gym uniform slip into the courtyard. It was that new girl...

She was moving before she could stop herself, following after the transfer student, hoping that she managed to catch her before Sakamoto did.

Thankfully she was fast enough, and the new girl, Kurusu was it? Was sitting by herself in the courtyard, reading something on her cell phone screen.

“Hey. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

Kurusu looked up at her, seemingly shocked that someone was approaching her. She slipped her phone back into her coat pocket, giving Ann her full attention, but didn’t offer a verbal greeting.

“So, like, what’s with you? Like with how you being late the other day was a lie and all? And those weird rumors about you?”

Kurusu didn’t reply, just sat there silently letting Ann make accusations, staring at Ann with blank, impassive eyes 

“Whaddya want with her?” 

Ann jumped, uncrossing her arm and turning around to see Sakamoto approaching, glaring at her and baring his teeth, like some kind of guard dog. Shoot! So much for catching them apart.

“R-Right back at you! You’re not even in our class!” Ann cried, pointing at Ryuji, ready to call his bullshit just the same as she did in middle school. He couldn’t intimidate her! Not when she knew he used to cry at the end of action movies!

Ryuji squirmed a little under the heat of her glare. “We just...happened to get to know each other.” He muttered, looking uncertain of his own words, like he didn't know how to fully reply.

Kurusu spoke up from behind Ann, dividing her attention between the two, realizing that she’d put herself right between the two biggest sources of gossip in all of Shujin. “I got lost...he showed me the way to school.”

Ann didn’t like Kurusu’s tone of voice. It was...cold. Devoid of emotion and sharp, like she just wanted Ann to take that answer and leave it. She wasn’t dumb! They had bumped into each other just a couple blocks from school! There was no way she could have gotten that lost!

Well too bad, so sad for her, that wasn’t the only thing on Ann’s mind!

“What’re you planning on doing to Kamoshida-sensei?” She asked Ryuji. She knew him better, she could read him so much easier. At least Sakamoto wore his emotions on his sleeve, this new girl was scary cold.

“Huh?” Ryuji looked confused by the change in conversation, but he quickly recovered, glaring at Ann with more venom in his stare than she’d ever seen directed at her. Something deep in her chest twisted uncomfortably. She didn’t want Ryuji to be mad at her, they used to be such good friends....

“...I see... I Getcha.” He muttered, still staring at her, like she was a snake about to bite him.

“You get what?” Ann snapped, regretting she’d even come down here now.

“You’re all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all...” The punk dismissed, sneering down his nose at her..

“This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!” Ann snapped, her temper flaring. God, she hated that stupid rumor! She was only nice to that creep because he controlled Shiho’s spot on the team! And for Ryuji to believe it too? That stung a lot.

“If you found out what he was doing behind your back, you’d dump him right away.” Ryuji spat and that gave her a moment's pause.

“Be...hind my back?” She repeated, confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ann already knew he was a creep, what else could Kamoshida be hiding from her, and how did Ryuji of all people supposedly know about it?

Ryuji looked over at the new girl, but by the time Ann looked to see what he was seeing, the raven haired girl had turned away, looking out the open courtyard where the cherry blossoms were fluttering down.

“You wouldn’t get it.” Ryuji finally mumbled, kicking at nothing on the ground.

Ugh that jerk! Fine. If he didn’t want to share, she’d figure it out eventually.

“Anyway, people are already talking about you two.” 

That got a reaction out of. Ryuji looked panicked for a moment, wide eyed and pale.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but no one is going to help you.” She said, really hoping that he understood the reality of the situation. “I’m warning you, just in case. That’s all.”

Not exactly the conversation she’d wanted to have, but it would have to do for now. She’d get answers eventually.

\----------------------------------------

The human world was nothing like what Morgana had expected! First of all, he didn’t even get to have a human body, he was stuck in this small cat body! Which no one seemed to understand at all! He’d tried asking a few people for help in finding those two from the days before, but people either ignored him, or started cooing about what a ‘cute kitty’ he was!

Second of all, he was going crazy trying to find those two again. He could smell them at this school, he knew they were here, but so where hundreds of other students!

He snuck around the side of the building, thankful to have finally found a way outside. The smells were stronger out here, but they weren’t as cramped together so it was easier on his nose.

“We should punish the King.”

Ah! Finally! He recognized that voice!

Looking around, he quickly spotted a head of bleach blonde hair talking to a large frizzy mass of black hair.

“You mean...that other Kamoshida?I didn’t think of that...do you think it will do any good?”

“I finally found you two!” He announced himself, stepping out from behind the corner.

“Huh? Did you say something?” the blonde one asked, looking around in confusion, the girl doing the same.

With a graceful leap, Morgana jumped up onto the table, making sure there was no way they couldn’t ignore his presence now! “Don’t you think you can get away with no paying me back for helping you the other day!”

“M-Morgana?! What!? How did you come to our world?!” Ryuji gasped. “Does that mean you have a phone?”

Morgana rolled his eyes, honestly, this moron! “You don’t need one when you're at my level.”

“Level of what? Level of Talking cat?!”

“I am NOT a cat!”

“Are you hearing this too?!” Ryuji implored Akiko who’d been standing to the side, watching the two go back and forth with a look of confusion on her face.

“...Meow?” She deadpanned, tilting her head to the side slightly. She even had the nerve to lift her hands up like they were paws!

“This is no time to be jokin’ around!” Ryuji screamed, red faced and hot.

“You know! I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida.” Morgana offered, ready to bring the conversation somewhere more productive. “I heard you mention the king earlier? You had the right idea just a moment ago.” He glanced up at the girl, smiling a little.

“God, that condescendin’ attitude- this things gotta be Mrogana!”

“Y-You were still doubting me?!”

“Hey! Did you hear that meowing just now?”

“Search every nook and cranny! We can’t let stray cats settle on the campus.”

“Shit! It's a teacher! Hide him in your bag!”

“What! Hey! Stop-let go of me!”

\---------

Okay, so the inside of the bag was a little more comfortable than he was ever going to admit, and it was really really convenient to have someone else walk you from one location to the other.

Morgana would have to make a note to sneak into more bags if he got the chance to soon.

“Coast is clear.” Ryuji announced, unzipping the bag and dumping it unceremoniously on it’s side, sending Morgana tumbling out.

“Don’t be so rough with me!”

“Shut up- listen, you said you know how we can do something about Kamoshide, right?”

Morgana nodded, pointing to Akiko with his paw. “She basically had it earlier. You’ll need to attack his castle.”

“What do you mean?”

“That castle is connected to Kamoshida’s deepest desires. He doesn’t realize what happens in there, he doesn’t even know it’s a thing, but it’s deeply connected to the depths of his heart. So if the castle were to disappear, it would obviously have an impaction on the real Kamoshida too.”

“Impact? What kind of impact?”

“Well...A Palace is a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. So, if that Castle were no more...”

Come on blondie, work it through, put it together...

“He’d become an honest man?”

Or Akiko could put it together first, honestly, he should have counted on that. “Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!”

“Wait for real?! H-He’s gonna turn good?! How is that getting back at him!?”

“If the palace is destroyed, all of the palace rulers' distorted desires go along with it, but that doesn’t erase the crimes they’ve already committed. Most likely, Kamoshida would become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he’ll confess them himself!”

“Something like that is possible?” Akiko asked, her face pinched together in thought.

“For real?!” Ryuji cried.

“Mmhmm! And because a Palace takes place in the cognitive world, there won't be any way to link you two to anything!”

“This is awesome! You are one incredible cat!” Ryuji cheered, jumping up and down excitedly.

“As incredible as I am, I am not a cat!”

“Okay, so, how do we do it? How do we destroy the castle?”

“Oh no! Not this again! I’m not getting taken advantage of twice in a row!” Morgana hissed, his fur standing on end again.

“First, you gotta swear you’ll help me if I tell you!”

“Help you?”

“Yes! Like was saying at the palace the other day before you two ran away from me so rudely!” Morgana cleared his throat.

“Do we have a deal? You help me explore the depths of Mementos to help me get my body back, and I teach you how to handle Palaces? Seems fair?”

Ryuji looked to Akiko, his face set in a slight frown. “Doesn’t really feel like we have a choice...”

Akiko shrugged a little before looking down to make eye contact with him.

“We have a deal.”

“...Good.” Morgana smiled, stretching out his back. “So before we start, I want to make one thing clear. Palaces are made from Distorted Desires, but not all desires are bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“The desire to eat. Sleep. Drink. Breathe, love, start a family, those are all desires too. If we were to remove those desires...”

“They’d basically be dead.” Akiko finished, catching where Morgana was going with this. He liked that about her. She was smart.

“They might even actually die if not given proper care.” He nodded.

“W-wait...they might die?!” Ryuji cried, eyes wide.

“What’s the problem? It’s not like anyone would know it was you!”

“That’s not the point! If we went around doing whatever we wanted in secret to get our way, we’d be no different than that effin’ bastard Kamoshida himself!” 

While he did have a point, Morgana really wished he didn’t. “Isn’t this your only option?!”

He couldn’t believe these two! But he supposed it was a lot to take in all at once. “...I’ll come back later. Make sure you’ve made your decision by then.”

He left the two to think it over, but he knew it wouldn’t take long before they would do something.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Come on sweetheart, it’ll be fun!” Kamoshida laughed into her ear, his voice still making her skin crawl even through the phone.

“Will you please give it a rest!?” She snapped, more anger in her voice than she had intended to let slip. “I already told you, I’m not feeling up to it...”

“That’s such a shame...In that case, I might not be “feeling up” to keeping Suzui in the starting position after all.”

Ann’s stomach twisted violently at the treat in Kamoshida’s tone.

“Wait, what?! That’s not-! And you call yourself a teacher?! This has nothing to do with Shiho!”

“Tssk-” Suddenly the phone clicked off and Ann was left all alone, listening to a dial tone, feeling the world giving wave beneath her feet more and more with each passing second.

No...

No way....

What had she done?

Her legs felt weak and she all she wanted to do was cry. It didn’t matter that she was in the middle of the Station Stadium, thousands of other commuters crowding by her, Ann had never felt so alone.

Ann sunk down, hugged her knees, and tried to hold back tears. What had she done?

“Shiho’s...starting position....” her vision blurred as tears began to swell. It wasn’t fair! Everything Shiho had worked so hard far! She was going to lose it? Just like that? Why couldn’t she have just controlled herself better?!

Slowly, something dark moved into her peripheral vision. Ann looked up, expecting maybe someone getting ready to tell her to get out of the way, or maybe a police officer to ask her if she was okay?

The last thing she expected was for the frumpy looking transfer student that everyone was saying nasty things ago to be hovering over her, looking down on her with a concerned twisting in her brows.

It was enough to shock Ann to her feet, taking a few steps back, putting space between them.

“You! W-wait, were you listening in on me?” 

The frumpy girl, Kurusu-san?, fiddled with a piece of her hair nervously. “...Not on purpose.” She admitted softly, her voice a little hard to pick up over all the commotion going on around them.

“Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?” Ann snapped, but immediately felt bad when she saw the flinch in her classmates shoulders, her hands abandoning hair twisting for the moment and gripping her bag straps tightly.

“I-I’m sorr-”

“No, I’m sorry.” Ann interrupted, sighing a little, feeling frustrated. “I was out of line.” Anything to get this girl to stop with the kicked puppy act, it was almost as heartbreaking as Shihos’ demure deposition. 

Shiho....

Ann slumped a little, remembering just what had put them in this position in the first place.

“So...how much did you hear?”

Akiko took a while to think over her answer, her grey eyes looking everywhere but Ann’s face.

“...Something about a friend.” Kurusu admitted softly, her hands twisting at her bag straps.

“Shiho...” Ann nodded, and without her permission the tears started to well up again, threatening to spill.

“I-it was nothing-” Before Ann could even think of running away, of making a mad dash to the bathroom to hide her tears away, something grabbed her wrist and held it in tight, rooting her in place.

“...you can talk to me... if you want.” Kurusu offered, her head ducked down, hiding behind her frizzy hair and her grandma glasses. It was faint, but Ann could see the blush that was rising to her cheeks. “You...you can trust me...I want to help.”

Ann stared at her fellow teenager in disbelief. “Why...? Why are you being so nice to me?” Ann’s voice cracked without her permission, the tears slipping down her face one after the other. Shit, she was going to ruin her makeup if this kept up.

“...Do you want to go somewhere to eat?” Kurusu asked instead, still holding onto Ann’s wrist. Her hand was cold, but soft. Smooth. Ann could feel just how thin and delicate her fingers were as they rested against her own, warm skin. It was...nice. Comforting.

“What the heck? I don’t get you at all...” Ann mumbled, moving closer to Kurusu, making it clear she wasn’t planning on running anymore.

Kurusu didn’t let go of her wrist just yet, the brunette offering a weak smile, before pointing over her shoulder. “...I saw a fast food place just around the corner...We could sit and get drinks...”

It wasn’t until they were inside the Big Bang Burger, sipping at their ice water, and Ann had dried her eyes with a handkerchief, did she realize the situation she’d just put herself in.

She was sitting at the same time as the new girl! The one with the legit criminal record! People already talked about Ann at school like she was some, cheap girl, she could only imagine how bad the talk would get if she was seen hanging out with the convicted prostitute.

“I don't have anything to talk about with you.” She spat, with more fire behind her words than she had intended. The way the other girl ducked her head down and just accepted Ann’s anger... Ann felt guilty, to say the least. 

She sighed and looked away, “It was just an argument...” She mumbled, trying to defend herself.

“...with Kamoshida?” Kurusu asked softly. She wasn’t looking at Ann, her gaze was instead locked firmly on the glass of water in front of her, watching the beads of condensation roll down the sides.

Ann leaned forward and rested her head in her hand, following Kurusu’s gaze.

“You’ve heard the rumors...haven’t you?” It was a rhetorical question, but just to clarify... “About Kamoshida-sensei...”

Kurusu said nothing, letting Ann speak.

“Everyone says we’re getting it on.” She spat, feeling gross just thinking about it. “But... that’s so not true!” And it never would be. There was no way she’d ever date someone like him!

“That was him on the other line...I had...avoided giving him my number...for the longest time!” And she never had, she grabbed the napkin in on her side of the table, wishing she could tear it to pieces, like confetti. He must have looked in her file to find her phone number. That pig. “He... told me to go to his place after this. You know what that means.”

Kurusu made an uncomfortable noise, looking awkwardly to the side.

“If I turn him down...he said he’d take my friend off as a regular on the team...” It hurt to say it out loud, it didn’t even seem real. The tears were building up again and she wanted to stop them, but they burned like fire behind her eyes and they leaked forth like lava without her permission regardless. 

“I’ve been telling myself...that I’ve been putting up with him for Shiho’s sake.” Her voice wavered. There was a voice in the back of her head that asked her, what about her own sake, and she hated it! She hated everything about this situation!

“I can’t take it anymore...” To admit that felt like admitting defeat and it hurt so bad. Ann’s throat felt tight as even more tears welled up. Her hands twisted at the napkin, the paper ripping between her fingertips. 

“I’ve had enough of this...I hate him!” She hated him so much! His hands, his breath, his voice, his disgusting eyes! She hated every part of him.

“But still...” She loved Shiho more than she hated Kamoshida. It was the simple truth behind it. Shiho’s happiness, Shiho’s future, that was so much more important! Shiho would always be more important!

“But still...Shiho is... my best friend...She’s all I have in that sorry excuse of a school!” She confessed, red hot tears falling onto the back of her hands as she sobbed in front of a stranger, a girl she didn’t know.

“I...I’m sorry.” Ann mumbled, after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. “I... I shouldn’t have said anything...it isn’t your problem.” Using what was left of her tissue, she wiped her eyes clean, taking a sip of water to help control her breathing again.

“...It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Kurusu-san mumbled, adjusting her glasses. Ann watched her for a moment, wondering what she’d look like without the blunky things covering up half her face. If she did something about her hair, she might even be kinda pretty.

“...You’re so weird.” Ann mumbled, deciding it was time to take a closer look at her classmate. “You don’t seem like the person in the rumors... I’ve heard what people have been saying, you know, but...I just don’t see it.”

Kurusu-san reached for her own cup of water, considering her reply for a moment before practically muttering into her ice water. “...I’m bad to the bone.”

Ann raised a brow, a laugh sneaking its way forth before she could stop it. “W-was that supposed to be a joke?”

It was hard to tell, with the way the sun was reflecting off her glasses and how she was still sipping slowly at her water, it was hard to see much of the other girls face, but Ann was pretty sure she saw a small smile peek out from over the brim.

Ann sighed, “Yeah, I kinda got the feeling they were all just exaggerations...You seemed lonely- like you didn’t belong anywhere...”

Kurusu-san put her cup down, folding her hands in her lap awkwardly as she ducked her head down.

“We’re the same in that regard.” Ann admitted, feeling more open, more honest, than she had in a long time. “Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to talk to you?”

Kurusu looked up at Ann, and the small smile, the gentle tilt of the head, it was so much like Shiho’s own gentle passivity.

“Shiho...is there really no way for me to help her?” Ann mused aloud, shaking her head as she tried to work through the possible solutions, but it felt impossible. “I wish he’d just...change his mind. Like, forget about me, and everything... but that’s impossible.”

“...It could happen.” Ann raised a brow at the girl across the table. What was with that tone of voice? Was she ... planning something? No, there wasn’t anything she could do!

“Hehe, yeah maybe in a fairy tale.” Ann mumbled, it was nice of the new girl to try and comfort her, but she needed to work on her delivery. Maybe if everything she said wasn’t a monotone mumble... well at least she could honestly say..

“I do feel a bit better now. Thanks...” There was an awkward pause as Kurusu said nothing, and Ann decided it was time to go. “I’m gonna head home.” She announced, standing to her feet and grabbing her bag. 

As she left the booth, Ann realised that, holy shit, bad move girl, she’d just told a stranger, a classmate stranger, a ton of valuable, personal, information. She’d be done for if it got out.

She frowned down at Kurusu, giving the other girl her best Mean-Girl face. “Hey.”

Kurusu flinches and Ann was pretty pleased with herself, practice had paid off. “Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay? I’ll find a way to talk things out with Kamoshida on my own.”

When the other girl didn’t reply, Ann took it as her que to leave, walking out the Big Bang Burger without looking back.

\----------------------------------------------------------

**Ryuji:** Yo. Some of the guys in my class have been talking.

 **Ryuji:** About Suzui Shiho. Rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida.

 **Ryuji:** These guys have gotten rumors hella wrong before, but if they are true...

 **Ryuji:** I don’t know though, something doesn’t seem right.

 **Akiko:** ?

 **Ryuji:** It’s just...

 **Ryuji:** I’ve known Takami and Suzui since middle school.We used to be kinda close?

 **Ryuji:** My point is, there’s no way either of them would want to get with some old creep like Kamoshida. He’s just not their type ya know?

 **Ryuji:** So like, what’s starting the rumors?

 **Ryuji:** I guess I can try asking Takamaki after school tomorrow... Get home safe, yeah?

 **Akiko:** Same to you.

Ryuji tapped at his phone and sighed. They hadn’t spoken to each other since last night, so nothing had changed...he just kept rereading it as he tried to think about just how we would go about approaching Takamaki after school.

“Sakamoto! Put your phone away! This is a classroom!” 

“Sorry sensei.” He rolled his eyes, sticking his phone back into his pocket and gritting his teeth. His leg bounced impatient for the end of class.

“Oh my god! Look!”

“That’s Suzui!”

“She’s gonna jump!”

Like a bucket of ice water had been dumped down his back, he jumped out of his seat to see what everyone else was seeing

No freakin’ way... There, on the other side of the courtyard, on the roof of the practice building, very much on the wrong side of the safety fence, stood Suzui Shiho.

His teacher was yelling something, but nobody was listening, students from every classroom were flooding the halls, looking onwards.

“That’s Shiho-chan! From volleyball!”

“She’s gonna commit suicide!”

“Oh my god!”

No... no way! Not Shiho!

She just couldn’t-!

\-------

Watching Ann and Shiho drive off in the ambulance... it didn’t feel real. Like a nightmare come to life

Akiko was with him, looking pale, a hand held nervously in front of her mouth, the other hugging her elbow close to her body. There was a tremble in her legs that had Ryuji worried, he hoped she wouldn’t faint or anything, but then again, he wouldn’t blame her if she did...

Poor Suzui...her leg look so messed up, and who knows what the state of her spine was!

When he saw Mishshima, that little string bean from the volleyball team, running away, that’s when he knew that little rat knew something. Akiko also noticed Mishima go, following his retreating from, before she looked back at Ryuji, the two of them sharing a nod before taking off after him.

It wasn’t hard to catch up to the boy. Ryuji grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into an empty storage room near the back door, pushing the boy inside, with little regard for his comfort. Once Akiko was inside too Ryuji slammed the door, happy to be as intimidating as he wanted.

“Ow! That hurts!”

“Why’d you run like that? Huh?!”

“I...I didn’t run...” Mishima denied, like they hadn’t just caught him sprinting down the halls.

Ryuji didn’t have time for this! He kicked on the lockers, the loud metal bang echoing through the room as he screamed at Mishima with all his anger. 

“She jumped and tried to kill herself!”

“L-Leave...Leave me alone...”

Mishima was about to get kicked in just like the lockers! Suzui could be dead by now! And this little punk just cared about his own skin!

“Just tell us.” Akiko spoke up, stepping forward, reminding them both that they weren’t alone here. “Please Mishima-san. We just want to help.”

“She’s right.” Ryuji insisted, “We ain't tryin’ to get you busted. We won’t say that you talked either! We just want to help Suzui!”

“S-...Suzui...” Mishimi brought his hands up his head, gripping at his hair in distress. “S-She was called out by Kamoshida-sensei!”

“Wait? ‘Called out?’”

Mishima nodded, unable to stop talking now that the damn had broken. “Yeah...It...it would happen all the time. Not just to Suzui...or me...Anyone on the team was fair game. If Kamoshida-sensei was in a bad mood, he’d call them to his office...and hit them.”

“We already know he’s beating the team.” Ryuji was shocked by the level of bluntness coming from Akiko. She was glaring at Mishima, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “What did he do to Suzui?”

Mishima flinched under the sharp glare of Akiko. Despite the situation, Ryuji felt a little proud of her. She could be a straight up, ice cold bitch if she wanted. Hope he never did anything to cross her like that.

“Y-Yesterday...he called her to his office out of the blue... she didn’t make any mistakes or anything.” Mishima mumbled, backing further into the corner they’d backed him into. “K-Kamoshida-sensei seemed really mad...so...so it must have been worse than usual...”

“Or something worse than a beating.” Akiko spat, her usually impassive expression scowled in disgusted.

Something...worse? Ryuji felt his gut drop as the light bulb clicked. No way... He wouldn’t- 

“That son of a bitch!” Ryuji punched the lockers, blood boiling beneath his skin

That bastard was gonna pay!

He vaguely heard Akiko calling after him, but it was too late for that! They were too late! He was gonna wipe the floor with that asshole face!

One way or another, he vowed, he was bringing Kamoshida down!

\-------

So...it looked like it was the other way.

With the threat of both of their explosions looming above their head, and the crushing weight that they were too late to save Shiho, the decision was made.

The King was going down!

Now that Ryuji had his own copy of that weird eyeball app installed in his phone, he put in the information he knew from Akiko’s app and hit the button.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What is this?!” This had to be a joke, right?!

There’s no way this was real! Since when was there a castle here!? Did that sign say something about Kamoshida’s rally of love? What the hell was happening?!

“Takamaki?!”

She knew that voice, and that hair! “Sakamoto?!”

But what was with that outfit!? Ugh he looked like a thug! But then that must mean-

“And Kurusu-chan!?” The hair was a dead give away, no doubt about it. But again, Her outfit-! What was with all the leather!?

“Wh-wh-why are you here?!” Ryuji cried his eyes wide, arms flailing widely.

“I don’t even know where ‘here’ is!” She screamed back, stamping her foot before turning to Kurusu, because maybe she’d at least explain! “H-hey! Where are we?! What happened to the school?!”

Kurusu didn’t answer her, she just stood there, her face infuriatingly impassive behind that black and white mask, before turning to Ryuji and talking as if Ann didn’t exist at all! What the hell!?

“She must have gotten caught in the radius of that eyeball app. If it took you, me, and Morgana, then it makes sense it could have sucked her up too, if she was close enough.”

“Wait, so..THIS is related to Kamoshida?!” And since when did Kurusu talk like that? What happened to the girl from yesterday, the one who could hardly get a sentence out?

“Anyways, you gotta leave!” Sakamoto demanded, not willing to answer

“No!” Ann cried, standing her ground on this.

She hadn’t noticed it before, it was small and silent, standing on the raised flower bed, she almost thought it was a statue, like a gargoyle type deal? Whatever it was though, the black cat monster thing sighed, shaking its head.

“The shadows are going to find us if we keep making a scene.”

“No way! It talked!? Oh my god! Talking monster-cat!”

The thing jolted back, clutching at it’s chest. “M-monster?”

This was getting nowhere! “You better tell me what’s going on! I’m not leaving until you do!”

Ryuji sighed. “What should we do? We can’t deal with Kamoshida until she’s outta here.”

Akiko shrugged, sounding resolve in her decision. “Then I guess we just force her out.”

“H-Hey now...” The two leather clad teens began to close in on Ann, each catching an arm of hers and they began to escort her back towards the mouth of the alley. “Stop it! Let me go!”

“Takamaki-san.” Ann paused in her fighting, to see that Akiko was giving her a hard look. “I apologise in advance for this. Please forgive me.” She didn’t sound very sorry.

“Apologise? For whAAAHHH!!” 

Ann screamed as she fell, landing on her hands and knees, back in the alley where she had seen Kurusu and Sakamoto standing just minutes ago

They threw her! They threw her out of that castle place! Just what the heck was going on!?

\--------

After a couple minutes of pacing, looking around, calling out for them like a moron, and other attempts to figure out where those two trouble makers had gone, she tried to think back.

They were talking about an app right?

“Kurusu-chan said...eyeball app, right?”

Ann pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen.

“Huh? What the?”

There in the middle of her homepage was the logo for an App she’d never seen before. A black box with a single red eye, gazing up at her eerily. 

Is that what she meant by eyeball app? She clicked it.

Huh? It was a...navigation app? It wanted keywords? There were three boxes, asking for a Name, a Location, and a Desire?

Wait what the heck had Ryuji been talking about in the alley?

“Uuuuhh, Kamoshida?” 

“Entry accepted”

Oh...okay! 

“Shujin academy.”

‘‘Entry accepted.”

“P-Pervert Castle...”

“Entry accepted. Now traveling to the Metaverse.”

Well, that seemed to work, she was back at the castle now!

“The heck is up with this app?” She asked noone in particular as she began to approach the castle doors.

“Princess?” There was a voice she’d never heard before, and an actual knight with a sword and shield came running at her.

“Ahh!”

“Princess! Are you alright? Quickly! Guards! Bring her inside at once!”

“H-Hey! Don’t you touch me!” She cried, twisting and struggling to get out of the tight hold on her upper arm.

The knights ignored her demands, only holding her tighter as they pushed open the gates and began to drag her inside.

For a moment, Ann was stunned by the inside of the castle, the black and white marble floors, the high vaulted ceilings, the massive pillars and rich carpets. Just where the hell was she? What were Sakamoto and that new girl even doing in a place like this?!

“What are you doing?” Asked a Knight from the top of the stairs. He was standing in front of a massive oil painting of...Kamoshida?! Riding a horse?! What the hell?! Where was she!?

“We found the Princess roaming around outside, sir!” The knight had first approached her, the one holding her right arm tightly making sure she couldn’t run off Saluted to his superior.

“Quickly! Take her to King Kamoshida at once! He will be pleased to know his Princess is safe.” The Guard at the top of the stairs ordered, to which all the other guards stiffened and saluted, shouting in unison ‘Sir, yes Sir.”

“Come with us, Princess.” The Knight on her other side began to lead her away, taking her further into the Castle.

“W-whoa! Hold on a minute!” Why were they taking her further in? King Kamoshida? What the hell was going on?! Was this some kind of... movie set or something?! She really started to struggle now, not wanting to be a part of whatever sick game Kamoshida had planned! 

“Stop! What’s going on?!”

The two guards ignored her struggles, going so far as to lift her off the ground by holding both her upper arms so tightly, she nearly screamed.

“Let go of me! Cut! Cut! Stop!” Ann cried, her heart beating like a drum in her chest, a real panic setting in now. 

“Stop! Who’s in charge here?! What kind of film set is this!?” In her struggles, she managed to lash out and connect a kick with something metal.

An empty suit of armour from a line of displays clattered behind her. She cursed under her breath. She hadn’t been aiming for that! She was aiming for the ones who were dragging her against her will, into...into...

The startled gasp that left her once she realized just what she was seeing.

The fires of anger that had been boiling her blood earlier froze over, it felt like ice running down her spine as she looked around the room. Dozens of girls, about her age maybe, dressed in PE bloomers and nothing else, scattered across the floor like discarded dolls, mewling and crying out in soft pleasure. Some lay on their backs, others knelt, but all were writhing seductively. Ann noticed with a horror that while they had mouths, open and gasping as they writhed gently on the floor, not a single one had eyes. Like a blank plastic doll before they painted on the details.

She felt sick. What the hell... just what the hell was going on here?! There were so many of them, it was like the floor was nothing but heaving naked breasts and open gaping mouths.

The guards ignored the girls, as they gasped and begged and whined and writhed, some reaching out to the guards, mewling softly, crying out in rejection as they passed....

The room of faceless girls was left behind, and while Ann wanted to be relieved, the sight before her did little to stop the cold sweat that started to form on the back of her neck.

Candles lit and flower petals spread about. It was easy to tell the actual implications of that medievel torture stand infront of her, and above was yet another oil painting of Kamoshida?

“N-No way!” She screamed, struggling harder, but it was no use. 

Effortlessly, the guards manipulated her arms into place and locked them there, metal shackles holding her arms up and apart, keeping her trapped to the X shaped...device at the center of the room.

“Let me go! Seriously! I’m gonna call the cops!” She threatened, pulling at her shackles but it was no use! She was stuck! Damnnit! Damnit! Why had she decided that following Sakamoto was a good idea again!? The hell was he even doing in a place like this!?

“So....this is the intruder...” A voice drawled from the back of the room. Ann startled, since when had someone else been here?!

Out from the shadows stepped...Kamoshida-sensei?! What the hell was He doing here and what was he wearing!? That cape was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever seen!

“K-Kamoshida?!”

He wasn’t alone though, the click of heels against the tile caught her attention as...She felt like she was going to be sick!

There was a Girl standing next to Kamoshida, running her hand up his shoulder and pressing herself against his side, hugging his arm through that awful cape of his. She...She looked just like her! She had her hair the same style and everything, but... a pink leopard print Bikini? With Cat ears?! She’d never in a million years! 

“W-Who is that!?” W-Was Kamoshida hiring girls that looked like her to....replace her? Because she didn’t want to sleep with him!?

“A-And what is this place!? Why’s the school turned into...THIS?!” 

Kamoshida ignored her, glaring at the knights, crossing his arms across his chest. Ann looked away quickly when she realized that there wasn’t much that he was wearing beneath that robe. 

“I can’t believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her.” Kamoshida spat at the guard, shaking his head. W-was that a crown? Was this what that guard meant by King Kamoshida? Just what the hell!? He turned his attention to her and began to laugh.

“Are you afraid?” He asked, smirking at her.

She couldn’t stop herself, “What is that outfit?! Have you lost your damn mind?”

Kamoshida laughed again, spreading his arms wide, exposing himself to the air, Ann quickly looked away again, face turning red. 

“I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle! My palace of desires...” He purred, licking his lips as he wrapped a hand around the other girl's waist, she giggled and leaned into his touch, letting herself be manhandled by that creep.

“N-no way...this is this kind of...Red-light district?!” She struggled harder at her shackles, shit! This was bad! Why?! Why had she followed Sakamoto?

Kamoshida laughed at her, as did the other girl, her laugh vapid and fake, grating at Ann’s nerves like chalk on a blackboard.

“What a lively slave!” He cheered, laughing at her struggles to escape.

“This isn’t funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!” Ann screamed, her voice cracking as she continued to fight against her bonds, but it was hopeless, the metal was too strong...

“Hah! The girls decided to tell me off...just what should we do about that?” Kamoshida asked the girl who clung to his side like velcro.

“Talking back is, like...totally unforgivable.” The girl smirked up, giving Ann a nasty look.

“In that case...She shall be executed.” 

Ann froze, w-wait? Executed? A-as in killed?!

A knight stepped forward, broadsword in hand, staring her down. The chills that ran over her skin left her shaking.

“Now then...just how shall I play with you?” Kamoshida mused aloud, content to watch from where he was standing it seemed. “Shall I...tear you into little pieces?” He asked, as if he were talking about the weather and not her life!

“A-Are you kidding me?” This wasn’t really happening right? E-Earlier when Sakamoto and Kurusu threw her, she hit her head and this was all just a dream right? Right?!

“TAKAMAKI!”

Ann looked up -speak of the devil! There was Sakamoto and Kurusu! They were in those weird clothes as before, and that monster cat was with them too!

Kamoshida sighed in irritation. “Just when I was about to start having a little bit of fun...” He grumbled.

Ann looked towards her Classmates in leather and cried out “What’s the deal with this guy?!”

“You...” Sakamoto growled at Kamoshida, his expression dangerous under that metal skeleton mask of his.

“How many times are you two gonna keep coming back?” Kamoshida demanded before shaking his head. He looked to Ann, glaring. “I bet you’re just like those thieves. You came because you’re pissed at me, huh?”

Mad at him? Of course she was-

“But, ah- Ah shit I forget that chick’s name, but it’s your fault she jumped, ya’ know.”

It was like a knife to the gut, robbing her of her breath. Ann froze, paralized by the accusation.

“You were so reluctant to throw yourself at me...that I had her take your place.”

The knife twisted, cold and sharp.

No...he didn’t....he coudn’t have...!

“You bastard!” She shrieked, the world was spinning, it was too much! Shiho! No! Not Shiho! Everything Ann had done to protect her from him- it didn’t mean anything because he still-!

The guard that had been approaching her earlier, took another step forward, raising his sword, reminding her of his presence.

“NO!” Sakamoto cried, going to rush forward, but Kamoshida was ahead of him.

That bastard raised an arm and the knights on either side of her raised their blades, creating a barrier between Ann and her old middle school friend.

“Take one more step and I’ll kill her on the spot.” Kamoshida vowed, staring Sakamoto down, daring the punk to try him.

“D-dammit.” He cussed, sinking back into his position close to Kurusu and that monster cat. 

“Just sit back, and enjoy the dismantlement show!” Kamoshida laughed, “Maybe...I’ll start with her clothes.”

“Ahaha! You’re such a perv!” Laughed the girl in the bikini.

“N-no...please stop!” Ann begged of the knight, the one that was getting closer and closer with each passing second.

“Takamaki!” Sakamoto cried, sounding panicked. W-was this it? Was... was she going to die here?

“Is this....is this my punishment for what happened to Shiho?” Ann could feel tears welling behind her eyes. Shiho! Poor Shiho! She could only imagine what that sick pig did to her! It was no wonder she wanted to jump off the roof! She didn’t deserve this! Why? Why Shiho? Why not her!? She...she deserved this...She should die. It was all her fault that poor Shiho had- if only she had just gone over to his place!

“That’s more like it!” Kamoshida boasted “You should have looked like this from the start.”

“Shiho....” She gasped the name like a prayer, she’d failed her. Her only friend in the whole world and Ann had failed her so spectacularly. “I’m so sorry...”

“Don’t listen to him!”

Ann looked up, it was hard to see through the tears but Kurusu was glaring at her.

“Don’t you dare listen to him!” The raven haired girl cried again, a passion in her voice, an anger, a determination, that Ann couldn’t help but cling onto.

“...You’re right.” Ann realized. Her blood was boiling again. She’d already failed Shiho once...she wouldn’t fail her again! 

“Letting this piece of shit toy with me...What was I thinking?” She glared at Kamoshida, feeling the fire of her anger blaze like a wildfire beneath her skin. It was dying to burst forth!

“Its like I always say...slaves should just-”

“Shut. up.” She snarled. How dare he interrupt her? “I’ve had enough of this....”

“You’ve pissed me off, you son of a bitch!” 

‘My...It’s taken far too long.’

A voice cut through her head, shattering her world.

It was echoing through her every bone, burning, leaving red hot trails in its wake.

‘Tell me...who is going to avenge her, if you don’t?’

Yes...yes that’s right! She had to avenge Shiho! She would avenge her!

‘Forgiving him was never an option... such in the scream of the other you that dwells within’

Screaming, screaming yes, she was screaming. It burned. Her body, her skin, her soul, everything burned like white hot fire.

‘I am thou, thou art I! We can finally forge a contract...’

Yes... yes a contract.

“I heard you...Carmen.” The flames were still there, but now they fanned her. Feed her. Fueled her. “You’re right. No more holding back!”

The shackling that once held her down meant nothing anymore, She ripped her arms from them.

‘There you go...nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I’ll gladly lend you my strength.’ 

Ann understood. She wasn’t going to hold back anymore. -and that started with this mask on her face!

The power exploded forth from her and with the fires of Carmen by her side she was going to show that bastard just what she really thought!

“I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with, you scumbag!”

He sneered at her, spewing insults like a scared little boy.

“You stole everything from Shiho...” Her starting position...her innocents...her happiness! HER LIFE!

“You DESTROYED HER!” Ann could still remember her face as they loaded her up into the stretching, sobbing that she couldn’t take it anymore.

“NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!” Ann vowed. “I WILL ROB YOU OF EVERYTHING!”

“How dare you! Enough of this insolence!” The knights that had moved in between herself and Kamoshida exploded into the black shadows, a single disgusting monster, a vulgar vile demon of sorts sprouting forth.

“No, I’ve had enough of you. No one's gonna stop me now! Let’s go Carmen!” She saw Kurusu rush forward, moving to her right side, while Sakamoto had her left. At that moment it felt so natural. Like they were already a team, built to fight side by side. Like they’d already done this a thousand times before. That feeling gave her the confidence to fight without restraint or hesitation.

“How dare you! How dare you deny King Kamoshida’s love, you selfish lass!”

“That DIRTBAG, just sees women as sexual outlets! Don't make me laugh with that ‘Love’ shit!”

“Pay for this insolence with your life!” Bellowed the monster, ready to attack.

“Come on Carmen! Let’s give him hell!”

\--------

She wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but they made it out of here alive and in one piece.

They were back in that alley way again, the same one from before. This time, she happily sunk to the ground, she felt like her legs were going to fall off!

“We...we’re back here?” She asked, voice shaking as she struggled to catch her breath. Sakamoto was bent over at the waist, hands on his knees as he too tried to correct his breathing. Kurusu had a hand on the wall, her knees shaking slightly before Ann’s eyes.

“Looks like it... Hey, are you okay?” Sakamoto offered her a hand, pulling her like a sack of potatoes to her feet.

“..Hmmhmm. Thanks.” Ann nodded, grateful for the help. This was the Sakamoto she knew from middle school. She’d really missed him, now that she saw him again. But that still didn’t explain anything at all about what just happened.

“I’m still...really confused though.” She admitted, looking between her two classmates for an explanation. 

“You may be safe now, but a lot sure did happen back there, it’s only natural you’d be confused.” A voice from much lower than she was anticipating spoke up, startling her out of her skin.

“A-AH! TALKING CAT!” Ann shrieked, grabbing hold of Sakamoto’s arm, pulling him in front of her.

“Dude, it’s just Morgana.” He sighed, sounding tired, as he shook off her hands and pushed her away from his personal space.

“...a-at any rate.” Why did the talking cat sound so upset?! “We stand out too much here. Let’s go somewhere private to talk.”

Kurusu pulled out her phone, checking something on the lock screen before sliding it back into her pocket. “Could we talk at the station?” She asked, looking uncomfortable suggesting it. “I...I have to get back to my guardian...”

Guardian? Huh?

Sakamoto didn’t question it, just nodded. “Sure, that works for me.”

“Hey! Don't leave me behind! Take me with you guys too!”

“Huh? Can't you just walk with us?”

“Your legs are so much longer than mine! It’s hard to keep up! Besides! They won’t let me on the subway! They chase me out!”

Kurusu knelt down wordlessly, unzipped her school bag, and opened it wide enough for the cat to slip inside.

“This again!? This is highly undignified!”

“Just shut up and do it!” Ryuji moaned, throwing his head back, clearly wanting to get a move on.

Ann watched the scene unfold in front of her, far too tired to comment or interject.

What the hell was she getting herself into?

Well...whatever it was...it would be worth it if it made Kamoshida pay for what he did to Shiho.

She’d never forgive him.

\-------


	5. Chapter 5: Sojiro, Morgana, Ann...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was pretty close to doing Iwai's point of view, but I ultimately decided to save Gun-Daddy for another time.
> 
> I need to get a better writing situation, my wrists are killing.
> 
> I am making less mistakes now that I'm typing at my desk again. The first 2 1/2 chapters were written on my phone LOL

Chapter 5: Sojiro, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Takemi, Ryuji again,

\------

The sun was setting and Sojiro was cleaning up behind the counter.

The shop was relatively quiet, that Doctor lady from down the street was back, she’d finished her curry a while ago and was now just sipping at her water as she scrolled through her phone. He wasn’t in any rush to kick her out, she still had plenty of time until closing.

Speaking of closing though, where was that damn brat? She was running even later than she was yesterday...She better not be getting into trouble!

He’d just finished putting the last of the cutlery away when the bells chimed.

Speaking of the attic brat...

“Stay upstairs while we’re open for business.” He offered instead of a greeting. The girl startled, freezing in place. Why was she holding her bag like that? Was her bag that heavy looking when she left this morning?

Sojiro sighed at her deer in the headlights act. Seriously, she could at least try and act innocent.

“Come on.” He grunted, he’d talk to her once the store was closed. “Go on upstairs, you’re in the way.”

That seemed to light a fire under her ass. The girl nodded quickly and moved upstairs as quickly as she could without actually running.

It wasn’t too long after that that the Doctor paid, thanked him, and left.

From above him, he could hear movement. She was walking about, up there, and was that meowing? She better just be watching some cat video online! 

Gritting his teeth, Sojiro quickly cleared off the tables, threw her dirty glass into the sink, ready to be washed, and checked the time. It was close enough, he deemed. He quickly flipped the sign, locked the door.

The mewing was getting louder, more frequent. 

“...P-please be quiet.” that was that brats voice, and more meowing followed.

Sojiro made his way up the stairs, intent on catching her in the act.

There she was, her back to the staircase as she knelt beside her makeshift bed. Her bag lay discarded to the side. Whatever she was talking too, he couldn’t see it behind that fluffy mess of hair.

“Hey, are you-”

Akiko gave a startled cry of alarm, as she whipped around and looked at Sojiro like he was a ghost. Honestly, had she not heard him come up the stai- CAT! 

There was a small black and white cat sitting on her bed, sunk low, looking almost as fearful as the girl did!

“I was wondering why I heard meowing!” He accused, pointing at the blasted thing. It seemed to flinch under his ire, making itself smaller, sinking into the yellow fabric wrapped around its neck like a collar.

“What did you bring it here for?!” He snapped, glaring at the girl. Was she stupid?! This wasn’t HER home! This was HIS business! His Restaurant that he had to run to certain standards!

The girl struggled with her words, eyes wide and nervous. “I-i...It was a-abandoned.” was all she was able to get out, looking like she might fall apart at any moment.

Seriously? Sojiro sighed heavily. Tug at his heartstrings some more why don’t you? The little attic rat and the mangy cat were staring up at him like he was the bad guy, about to throw them both out into the cold. Ugh he hated it!

“That’s...that’s a shame.” He relented, trying to keep his voice steady. “But still- this place? It's a restaurant. Animals are a No-Go.”

Akiko lowered her head, her hands falling limply in her lap. That was it? She wasn’t going to argue more with him about it? Sojiro frowned and decided to really think this through. He knew that this place had a health code to follow, but... cat cafes were a thing right?

And then of course...

“Though, I guess... You might stick around on good behavior if you have the responsibility of a pet to take care of...” He mused aloud, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

Akiko gasped a little, whipping her head up so quick he was surprised she didn’t develop whiplash. Her large grey eyes sparkled behind her glasses and Sojiro needed to look away before he caved completely. This damn brat! He wasn’t going to fall for some big watery puppy-dog eyes!

“Fine... You can keep it.” So much for not caving completely Sojiri, you old soft, sentimental fool.

“Just, don’t let it roam around downstairs, and make sure it stays quiet during business hours, or I’ll toss it out.” He sighed, slightly aware he was being unreasonable. You couldn’t just tell a cat to be quiet and expect it to listen, or to tell it where to go.

“You better take care of it, cuz I sure as hell won't.” 

Akiko nodded quickly and enthusiastically, her hair bouncing every which way.

“Sheesh...what a pain in my ass...” He grumbled, walking off. He had some left over fish right? It would have to do.

It took a couple minutes of digging around in the fridge, but eventually Sojiro wandered up the stairs again, two plates in hand. One with cold leftover fish, and the other with warm, microwaved curry.

Akiko hadn't moved from where he’d left her, sitting on the floor in front of her bed, watching the cat it paced back and forth on her futon, meowing away like it was lecturing her or something.

“Here.” Two sets of eyes looked up at him with such intensity he had to pause. Those blue eyes on that cat...Guess it was fate these two found each other huh? They both had smart, calculating eyes.

He put the fish on the floor, and offered the curry to the girl.

“This is just for today. Because it kept meowing in that cute little voice. You’re feeding it from now on.” He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wash those dishes when you're done.” Akiko nodded silently, already a couple spoonfuls into her curry. She was just going to eat there on the floor? She had a desk... Sojiro sighed, he was never going to understand teenagers.

“By the way...what’s it’s name? Have you picked one yet?”

Akiko took a moment. Swallowing her food first, she nodded and softly mumbled. “Morgana...”

“Morgana?” That's a weird name. Why a western name? Talk about a mouthful. What a strange girl. “Alright...if that’s your choice? I’d have picked something cuter, but...up to you.”

The cat, Morgana, who had previously been stuffing its fuzzy face with fish, meowed up at him. Huh. Must be thanking him for the meal. Cute little thing.

“Anyway... I’m headed home for the night. Remember to wash those dishes, and get some sleep.”

“...Goodnight Boss. Thank you Boss.”

“...Night kid.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morgana watched as the strange man left, taking the weird smell combination of rich coffee and stale cigarettes with him. He was a strange one, but at the end of the day, he gave them both food without being asked, so that was something, right?

He looked back over to Akiko, who was quietly eating her food, the clink of the metal spoon against the plate a calming, repetitive noise.

“He seemed pretty understanding....for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump.”

Akiko didn’t reply, just continued to eat. He couldn’t blame her for being hungry. He was starving too, it was draining work, fighting in the metaverse. He licked at the plate, trying to get every last scrap of fish into his jaws.

“Well, I guess in comparison, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida’s cells.”

Again no reply. What a strange, quiet girl...

“Hey so... remember how you guys asked me before? About what I am?”

That caught her attention, her head finally lifting up from her plate. She turned her head to give him her attention, waiting for him to continue.

“Well...to be honest, I don’t remember anything about my birth.”

“...most people don’t either.” Akiko mumbled, her voice emotionless. People may mistake him for a cat, but he was starting to think this girl was a robot! 

“That’s not what I mean!” Morgana snapped, his hackles rising. “I mean, I don’t remember anything about who I was before I woke up in the Metaverse! I think the Metaverse’s distortions made me lose both my memories, and my true form.”

Akiko was silent for a moment as she took in his words, he could see the gears turning behind her eyes. Like a robot. It was a moment later but she eventually asked, “...Is that form human?”

“It has to be!” Morgana cried, feeling offended that she was doubting him. “I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this!? There’s no other explanation!” He’d tried trying to talk to the cats of this world, but they didn’t understand him either, just like the regular humans of this world. It was a lonely feeling, to have no one to talk to...

“I’m positive that it was the distortions of the metaverse that caused me to lose my true form! Once I find a way to purge those desires, I’m sure I’ll get my true form back! That’s why I was at the castle! I was testing a theory on how to do it!”

“...a theory...” Akiko mumbled to herself, looking away, a frown tugging at her lips.

Oh no...was she doubting him? Was she reconsidering their deal?!

“L-Let me make myself clear; taking care of me won’t be for nothing! I’m a gentleman of Give and Take after all.”

Akiko looked back at him, a skeptical look worn across her face.

“Due to my knowledge and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tricks and tools.” He preened, happy to boast. “In exchange for keeping me here, I will teach you these skills of a Phantom Thief!”

“...fine.” Akiko nodded, accepting his terms.

“Then it’s a deal!” Morgana purred. Perfect! Everything was going to plan! Now that he had this...this little Trickster on his side, He felt like he could go anything!

The girl shuffled to her feet, finished her plate of food, and reached to take his as well. She made her way down to the restaurant below, intent on washing the dishes right away it seemed. 

“I’ll uhh...teach you about the tools over time...” He mumbled, following after her. Would it kill her to show a little enthusiasm? He was offering her extremely valuable knowledge after all.

Akiko didn’t reply, she put the dishes into the sink, it was still filled with soapy water and a couple other plates and cups from the customers of the Cafe. Morgana jumped up onto the bar stool, and then the counter, so that he could watch her.

The Highschooler silently unbuttoned and removed her black uniform jacket, setting it to hang over a ball stool. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing pale skinny arms, with delicate, thin wrists. She wordlessly got to work washing the dishes by hand, even the ones that weren’t they’re, she scrubbed thoroughly at every dish and every cup, taking careful care to get every bit of dirt.

“So...that power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing.” He complimented, he’d never seen anything like it! How her to not only summon and use her own Persona, but to absorb and use the power of those shadows to her advantage? Purifying Shadows to their true form? It was incredible...

“The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it’ll be as a trump card.” He mused allowed. She most likely wouldn’t be able to handle too many now, or even ones that were very strong but...the more she trained? The more she fought? 

He’d only fought by her side a few times over the course of several days, but even then, he was already blown away by the staggering amount of progress she’d made already. Give it enough time, and she’d be unstoppable, he could feel it in his gut.

“That settles it!” Morgana declared, “From today on, I’m gonna stick with you wherever you go!”

Call him crazy, but just he knew, he knew that this girl, this quiet, blunt, girl with the huge glasses and the frizzy hair...she was going to do amazing things, and he wanted to be around to see it!

“I expect great things from you!” Morgana jumped down from the counter and began to make his way back upstairs. “Don’t let me down, okay?”

His Joker didn’t reply, she hadn't said a thing since she started washing the dishes, and Morgana left it at that.

Time to explore his new chateau~!

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Ann got home, it was late. She was walking much slower than she normally would, and ended up missing two different trains. She was dragging her feet like bricks by the time she made it up to her building.

The doorman behind the desk noticed her approaching and buzzed the door open for her. It was Hiroto-san, Ann noticed with a sigh of relief. It was nice to see a friendly, familiar face.

“Ann-chan! It’s late! You look exhausted! Are you okay? What happened?”

The portly older man rushed forward from behind his desk and held his hands out, unsure how to help. His old kindly voice was like a warm blanket. He’d been a doorman for their building for as long as she could remember and he’d always been so nice to her, slipping her candy and helping her bring groceries in when her parents were out of town. He was practically an uncle to her at this point.

He was the same as always, short, only coming up to her shoulders, and wide, his uniform fitting snugly at the waist. His face was still red because of his heart condition, and his hair was still receding, in fact it might even be worse than the last time she saw it.

He hadn’t changed a bit though.

And the building hadn’t changed.

And the people in the streets hadn’t changed, and neither had the people in the subway....

So it really was just her than...

She was the only one who had changed... who had seen that world, felt that power, accepted who she was and awoken to her true self...

Only she wasn’t...

She wasn’t the only one.

Sakamoto and Kurusu had been there too. They had seen that world. They had those things...those Persona’s too...

“I’m fine, Hiroto-san. It’s just....been a really really long day.”

“Ann-chan...it’s okay, don’t cry, you’re home now.” His warm, pudgy little hand rubbed at her arm, trying to offer her some comfort.

Huh? Was she crying? A hand reached up to touch her cheek, coming away wet. How did she even have more tears to cry?

“I...I’m sorry...I...I don’t even know why I’m crying...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, silly girl.” Hiroto childed softly, taking her gently by the hand and leading her deeper into the building. “Go home Ann-chan...get some sleep. Drink some tea. Have a bath. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Hmmhmm...Thank you Hiroto-san.”

“Don’t mention it Ann-chan. If you need anything, you know you can call the lobby.” He motioned to the desk that he’d left to come assist her over to the elevator.

She nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe her face dry. “Thank you again.”

He waved her goodbye when the elevator doors closed, and it didn’t take long until she was let off on her floor.

She fumbled with her key for a moment before slipping inside the quiet dark apartment, locking the door behind her, sliding the chain shut too.

“I’m hooome.” She called, knowing that there was no one else home. Her Dad was off on an overseas’s business trip until next month, and Mom had gone back home to visit her family for a wedding. She’d be gone until the end of the month.

After taking off her shoes in the entryway, Ann shuffled her way into the apartment, flicking on the lights as she went, dropping her bag on the kitchen table, and shuffling mindlessly into the bathroom.

A hot bath.

She’d kill for a nice hot bath.

It didn’t take long until she was running herself a tub, and shuffling back into the kitchen. The fridge didn’t have much in it, but there was a bottle of vitamin water, so she grabbed that and drank, more desperately than she would ever like to admit.

The freezer had a few microwaveable meals left, thankfully. She picked the pot stickers.

One mildly satisfying meal and a heavenly bath later, she was dressed in her PJs and ready to pass out but there was something she had to do first.

She’d only really remembered while she was soaking in the tub!

Plugging in her phone to charge, Ann quickly scrolled to the newest contact in her messaging app. 

Kurusu Akiko... Akiko-chan, huh? She spelt it like Shining child, which Ann guessed was kind of pretty. Kinda old school though, super formal looking kanji.

She started a new conversation, texting quickly, fingers flying over the touch screen with a practiced grace.

 **Ann:** Hey Kurusu-Chan! Sorry to message you so late!

 **Ann:** I wanted to thank you for everything you did today!

 **Ann:** You saved me, and I didn’t even thank you in person! 

**Ann:** That’s really lame of me, I’m sorry. 

There was a moment of no reply, before the black and red box appeared, dots moving slowly.

 **Akiko:** You should be thanking Ryuji.

Ann started at the screen, shocked. Huh? What the hell?

 **Ann:** I did just a moment ago. 

It might have been a white lie, but she did have every intention of thanking Ryuji too, just after she was finished talking to Kurusu-chan! Now Ann felt guilty. This sucked, this really sucked. She was hoping that the two of them could have a friendly chat...maybe get to know each other better, but this cold response?

 **Ann:** Anyway, that was all I wanted to say.

 **Ann:** See you at school tomorrow.

She quickly closed that chat and moved over to starting Ryuji’s. 

**Ann:** Hey. Thanks for today.

 **Ann:** The two of you really saved my butt. I appreciate it.

 **Ryuji:** Don’t worry about it...

 **Ryuji:** Akiko saved me, and then I saved her, so, like of course we saved you too, right?

 **Ryuji:** Sorry, forget that, that was dumb.

 **Ann:** ???

 **Ryuji:** I said forget it!

 **Ann:** Fine be a jerk!

 **Ryuji:** I’m not a jerk!

 **Ann:** This is why we stopped talking!

 **Ryuji:** No! We stopped talking because YOU decided that hanging out with Kamoshida was more important than believing me!

Ann started at the screen, eyes wided. Her stomach twisted painfully. She wanted to protest but... Ann shrunk into herself, hugging her knees tightly.

She could see the little box of dots jump up and down, Ryuji was typing. And typing. And typing

She waited. He earned his turn to speak. 

**Ryuji:** I’d been saying shit about that jerk from day one! From the first day he took over track, I said he was a creep! And then he went and said shit that he had no right saying, and then he went and broke my damn leg! 

**Ryuji:** And no one believed me! 

Ann couldn’t argue with him, because he was right. She knew he was right. But Volleyball was everything to Shiho, it was her dream! And Shiho was everything to Ann, so if helping Shiho achieve that dream meant playing nice to Kamoshida-sensei, at the time, she’d been willing to do it.

 **Ann:** I’m sorry.

It was lame but it was all she had.

 **Ryuji:** Nobody believed me Ann! Do you know how bad that sucks?!

 **Ann:** I get it.

Ann typed quickly, as she could see Ryuji was too, and she wanted to make her point before he went off on her again again.

 **Ann:** Everybody says that I’m dating Kamoshida-sensei.

 **Ann:** It’s a damn lie!

 **Ann:** I was just being nice to him because he wouldn’t leave me alone and he kept making threats to Shiho’s position on the team!

 **Ann:** So... I get it.

 **Ann:** and I really really am sorry.

 **Ann:** You're right. I should have listened to you.

 **Ann:** But I'm listening now so...

 **Ann:** So... truce?

 **Ryuji:** Truce.

 **Ryuji:** Shit's too messed up to do it alone. Gotta stick together.

 **Ann:** Misery does love company.

 **Ryuji:** You know...Akiko’s got it pretty bad too. You’ve heard the rumors about her?

 **Ann:** I wish I hadn’t. They’re pretty nasty.

 **Ryuji:** I hate them! They’re not even a little bit true!

 **Ann:** How did someone fake such a real looking criminal record? I saw the pictures leaked online...

Ryuji started and stopped typing a few times before he finally responded to her

 **Ryuji:** Cuz the record is real. She is on probation. It's why she transferred.

 **Ann:** WHAT?!

 **Ryuji:** But she didn’t do what the record says she did!

 **Ryuji:** She ain’t like that at all!

 **Ann:** What do you mean?

Once again, Ryuji took forever to type out his reply, starting and stopping too many times to count.

 **Ann:** Ryuji! Explain!

 **Ryuji:** I don’t know if it’s my place to!

 **Ryuji:** It’s like, hella personal, you know?

 **Ryuji:** Not my story to tell...

Ann didn’t like the way that that information sat in her gut. What the hell did that mean?

 **Ann:** Ryuji, I don’t like the sound of that...

 **Ryuji:** If she wants to tell you, she’ll tell you okay?

Ann got the impression that there was no way the other girl was ever going to tell her anything. Thinking back to that cold text conversation, and even further back, to when they had sat together in the burger place... Had Akiko been cold back then too? It felt like forever ago, Ann couldn't even remember.

Come tomorrow, she’d make an effort to be nicer to the girl. It was thanks to Akiko’s words that Ann was able to break through what was holding her back and unleash her own power so... the least she could do was try and be a friend to the new girl! Even if she gave her the cold shoulder, Ann would just have to be persistent. That was most likely how Ryuji had gotten through to her, after all. That boy was nothing but persistent.

 **Ryuji:** I’m going to have a bath. See you at school tomorrow.

 **Ann:** ....See you are school.

With a heavy sigh, Ann set her phone to the side, and crawled under her covers.

As much as her mind was racing, trying to process all the new information she’d learned today, her body said that sleep was way more important and Ann was asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryuji was the first to the hideout, having decided to cut the last period entirely. 

Who could expect him to focus on school when he was this pumped!

Sure it was himself, two girls and cat-thing, but they had a full fledged team now and together, they could crush that creep!

The door to the roof creaked open and he stopped his seat rocking, letting the front two legs hit the roof with a thud.

Ann was walking side by side with Akiko, hovering over the other girl who looked uncomfortable with all the attention she was being paid.

“-Really though, I am sorry I didn’t warn you, Ushimaru-sensei is sorta famous for his aim.”

“..it’s fine.”

“Seriously Aki-chan, are you okay? It bounced off your head pretty hard. Did it get your glasses?”

“...I’m fine.”

“Yo, what’s up?” Ryuji asked, as the girls finally made it to the spot.

“Ugh, thanks for texting us in class you jerk!” Ann glared at him, but it lacked much heat. “Ushimaru-sensei threw the chalk at Aki-chan because he caught her looking at her phone!”

“A-ah..sorry. My bad.” Ryuji fumbled, hot guilt twisting in his stomach. “You okay? That sucks. He gets me all the time too.”

“...I’m fine.” Akiko mumbled as she put her bag on the table, letting Morgana free.

“Looks like we’re all here!” Morgana announced, shaking his fur back into place after having been in Akiko’s bag for who knows how long.

“M’kay, let’s get goin’!” Ryuji clapped, ready to get things started.

“Hold on, it’s still too early for us to head to the Palace.” Morgana sighed.

“But why? Don’t we just gotta steal that treasure thing?”

Morgana’s blue eyes started him down, and there was something really unsettling about watching a cat's mouth move, and hearing japanese come out instead of meowing. He wasn’t sure it was something he’d ever get used to.

“Never underestimate the dangers of a Palace.” Morgana warned. “We need to prepare.”

“But- ain’t that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?” Maybe it wouldn’t have been enough with just himself and Akiko, but now that there were four of them...wasn’t that going to be enough?

“That’s exactly what I mean when I say don’t underestimate it! You’ll die if you mess up in there!”

Oh...oh yeah...remembering how close they’d come to death back in that cell, it was just a few days ago, but he’d almost forgotten. It was a sobering realization, to say the least.

“So again, we need to prepare before we head in.” Morgana insisted. 

“But...how?” Ann asked, looking to the cat for answers.

“I’m so glad you asked, Lady Ann.” Ugh this again? Geez, this cat... Could it at least learn to be subtle? Girls totally didn't go for guys that drooled over them like that, they liked cool guys who played it aloof. Right? That is what girls liked, right?

“First! We need to find better equipment for all of you.” The cat declared, and that brought a smile to Ryuji’s face.

“You talkin’ about weapons? Oooh, I know a kick-ass place!” He’d been searching for a reason to go back in there! The clerk was scary as hell, but he carried good shit and let Ryuji buy that model gun without any hassle just a few weeks ago! It was the perfect place!

“Good. We’ll leave that to you then!” Morgana nodded and Ryuji smiled a little. Siiiick! He knew what he was doing tomorrow! It was Sunday, so he’d have the whole day to mess around in Shibuya.

“Then, I guess we’ll just need medicine! Unfortunately, injury will be unavoidable in Palaces, and we need to be ready.”

“But...where do we get monster fighting medicine?”

“I’m sure you’ll find the answer will please you, Lady Ann!” The cat was practically crawling into Takamaki’s lap and Ryuji rolled his eyes. Did it have no shame?

“Because the Metaverse is the cognitive world, the cognition of medicine should be affected too!”

“I don’t get it...” Ann sighed.

“Nothing this cat says makes sense sometimes.” Ryuji groaned, agreeing with Ann

“Hmmp!” Morgana huffed. “Don’t worry, Akiko and I will handle it. There’s a place in Yongen that I heard about that sounded just right.”

Akiko looked just as shocked as Ryuji was.

“In Yongen?” She asked, fiddling with her a piece of her hair.

“Just do it! I can’t go by myself, I need someone else to do it.”

Akiko seemed to just accept her fate, nodded silently and gathered up her bag, getting Morgana ready to go.

Ann stood up also, ready to leave if they weren’t going to be doing anything tonight.

Ryuji waved goodbye to them as the two girls left the rooftop, one after the other.

Well, it wasn’t the ass kicking he wanted, but, there was always monday, yeah?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Takami Tae was just about ready to call it quits for the day. Things had been quiet, not a single patient or phone call all day, and she was starting to get hungry. Maybe she’d get curry from the cafe down the street again? They served decent coffee, so say the least.

The door to the clinic opened up, bringing Tae’s gaze up from her paperwork, where she was documenting the different interactions between two different types of caffeine supplements, to the newcomer into her clinic.

The girl was a high school student, she wore her uniform and carried her book bag. Small thing, tiny girl. Her legs were too skinny, and her skin was too pale. Not enough Iron in her diet. Not enough in her diet in general. She watched as nervously the girl approached her counter.

“Is this your first visit?”

The girl nodded, looking down at the counter, avoiding looking her in the eye. It was when a pale hand reached up to adjust her bangs, did Takami realize this wasn’t the first time she’s seen that frizzy mop of hair.

“I feel like...I’ve seen you around before.”

The girl fidgeted nervously before mumbling something that Takami didn’t quite catch. She made no move to repeat herself, or clarify, and Takami wasn’t going to force her.

“Well, whatever.... So, what are you here for today?”

“I...my body feels lethargic.”

Well no shit kid, what are you fueling your body with, hopes and dreams? Is what she wants to say. Instead Takemi sighed, standing up. She at least needed to act professional, Tae reminded herself.

“Do you have your ID card? It’s for looking up your medical history.”

The highschooler fumbled with her bag for a moment, getting her wallet out one of the front pockets, fishing out the white plastic card and handing it over to the Doctor.

Kurusu Akiko huh? She wasn’t from around here, Tae didn’t recognize the town name, but Tottori Prefecture wasn’t just a day’s trip from here. Strange.

“Follow me.” Takemi sighed, leading the girl into her office. 

“Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.” Takemi sank into her comfortable chair and crossed her legs. She quickling began typing up a new digital file for Kurusu, as well as gathering the papers for the physical copy.

Kurusu-chan was sitting on the small red stool, bag set carefully aside and against the wall, looking stiff and extremely uncomfortable.

Takemi quickly took baseline readings of the girl's blood pressure, too low for comfort, and her heart rate, nervous and fluttering. Her skin was cold and clammy too, something to take note of.

“So, you say you're feeling lethargic? That’s usually due to stress, but there can be other factors. What are your sleeping habits like? Or your eating ones?”

“....n-normal.”

Takemi hit her pen against the top of her clipboard.

“Define normal.”

Kurusu-chan squirmed under her gaze, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.

“I..I sleep between 5 to 7 hours a night on average.” The teenager looked to the left, a common sign of deceit. Tae made a note that it was probably less than that. 

Kurusu raised her volume a little, her voice wavering only slightly, “I...I’ve been eating a lot of curry recently...”

“How often are you eating?” Best just cut to the point then, if the girl was going to play games.

“...B-breakfast when it’s available.” Kurusu-chan mumbled, avoiding Tae’s sharp gaze. “M-my caretaker is making sure to give me dinner.”

Caretaker? And they were only consistent in providing dinner? Never mind, it was none of her concern. At least she wasn’t here with ulterior motives

“...What about lunch?”

“T-The school store sells Yakisoba pan. It sells out pretty quick though...”

Tae sighed, and looked at the girl, taking in her demeanor as she contemplated her next move.

“I guess high school kids have it tough nowadays too, huh?” She sighed. “I’m going to prescribe you some medication. I want you to start taking iron supplements and multivitamins daily from now on too, do you understand me?”

Kurusu-chan nodded silently, accepting the Doctor’s orders quietly.

“Small thing like you, you must tire out pretty quickly.” Takemi mused, turning back to her computer screen, checking her inventory numbers. “We’ll get you something for getting your energy back up too, when you need the extra boost. It should be fine, you seem earnest enough, you don’t look like you’ll cause any trouble.”

Kurusu-chan looked up at her shock evident on her face.

Takemi moved over to the filing cabinet. “This is my practice. All the medicine I dispense is original, my own formulas.”

Takemi smiled over her shoulder at the teen. “I have a license to make them. They’re even sold in a lot of hospitals across the country.” And to think she’d still be making that kind of progress if things hadn’t gone to complete shit. 

It took a while, but eventually she was passing over three different prescription bottles to the teenager, who paid for them with a few crumpled bills from her wallet. It didn’t look like she had much money in there.

Oh well. That wasn’t Takemi’s problem.

She waved the girl out, and ushered her next client into the exam room.

Who just so happened to end up being that old blow hard, Oyamada here to threaten her again.

Tae could feel a headache forming. Honestly.

She should have just closed up for the day when she had the chance, the three and a half thousands yen she got from that skinny little brat wasn’t worth it.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

**Ryuji:** So you know that store I was talking about? 

**Ryuji:** The one with the model guns?

 **Ryuji:** It’s in Shibuya. Wanna meet up and go together? 

**Ryuji:** I know I said I would do it, but I don’t wanna pick something you girls don’t like.

 **Akiko:** Okay.

 **Ryuji:** Sweet! Let’s meet by Shibuya station, around noon? You remember how to get there?

 **Akiko:** I remember.

 **Ann:** Hey, sorry, I can’t make it. Can I ask you guys to get something for me?

 **Ryuji:** You can’t make it?

 **Ann:** Not tomorrow, sorry.

 **Ann:** I made plans to visit Shiho in the hospital.

 **Ryuji:** Got it. Say no more.

 **Ryuji:** Looks like it's just you and me, Akiko! See you!

 **Akiko:** See you.

Ryuji sighed and snuck his phone back into his pocket. They had agreed on noon, and yet here he was, sitting on a bench in Shibuya square, quarter after noon, and still waiting.

Just when he was starting to think that she might have gotten lost, he saw that familiar messy blob of black hair trying to push its way through the crowd.

“YO! Akiko! Over here!” He waved, quick to flag her down.

He’d been wondering what kind of casual clothing Akiko would wear, having only really seen her in either her school uniform, or her clothes in the metaverse.

He'd been picturing long flowy skirts, ruffles and dresses, maybe pink and glittery bows in her hair? Super hardcore girly stuff. She was shy, right? Shy girls liked girly things, right? Or maybe she was the super innocent type, and she’d show up in a cute white dress and a floppy hat, like some protagonist in a shojo manga? It was spring after all, didn’t girls like being cute in spring?

But then again, if the clothes they wore in the metaverse were supposed to be their 'inner rebel' or whatever it was that Monamona was talking about before so...maybe not?

Would she be wearing something like her metaverse outfit? Leather pants and a corset? Her...assets displayed proudly? Would she hold that confidential aura that only seemed to find her in that other world? It was so mature and...demanding. Like she knew what she wanted and nothing was going to stand in her way to get it, so different from the quiet transfer student she was at school...

As Akiko approached him, he was kinda happy to see he was wrong in both of his assumptions.

She looked totally normal.

Ryuji's eyes followed her form, starting from the ground up.

Simple black and white sneakers, a pair of dark wash, straight-leg jeans that wrapped around her legs loosely, hugging the small curve of her waist.

Ryuji swallowed tightly and continued his gaze.

Akiko had chosen a simple plain white tee-shirt. It was a snug on her form, stretching firm across her chest, but she covered herself with a thin black cardigan, left open in the chill spring breeze. She was carrying a small black backpack over one shoulder that looked kinda heavy. Should he offer to take it from her?

If Ryuji was being honest with himself, she looked alright. Not super cute or anything, just like a normal person. A nerdy, normal teenager.

He was kinda disappointed she hadn't tried to look cuter for him, couldn’t she at least have done something with her hair? But he had to remind himself of several facts pretty quickly.

Fact number one: They were not on a date, and therefore, she could look as cute or as not cute as she wanted to.

Fact number two: They were not dating. Period. At all. They were friends. There was absolutely no reason at all for her to even think of dressing up cute for him in the first place.

Fact number three: If the wrong people thought she was dating him, she could get in a whole lot of trouble, so it probably made even more sense for her to not put a lot of effort in!

Feeling kinda foolish with himself after that roller coaster of emotions that he only had himself to blame for, he smiled at Akiko, who had finally made it through the crowd and was standing in front of him expectantly.

"....uhhh hehe so yeah, hey." He laughed a little scratching the back of his neck.

"...hey." Akiko greeted back, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

The backpack she was carrying began to move and shuffle and to Ryuji's horror, opened on its own, a fuzzy black and white cat head popping up like some bad carnival prize, twisting its body so that it's two front paws were resting on Akiko's shoulders, looking around to see where he'd emerges to.

"So!" Chirped Morgana, completely oblivious to the look of shock and horror on the bleach blonde boys face. "Where is this weapons store?"

"Dude! Get back in the bag!" Ryuji cried, slamming a hand on the cats head, trying to stuff it back where it came from.

"H-hey! Stop it!" Morgana protested, not afraid to use his claws to get his way, Ryuji retreated for now.

“You brought the cat with you?!” He couldn’t believe her! What if they got kicked out of the store?!

"...I couldn't leave him at the Cafe, this was my only option." Akiko mumbled, adjusting the backpack straps now that the mild chaos was over and she had her personal space back.

"Cafe?" Ryuji repeated, the heck?

"Hey! Ryuji!" The cat piped up, before the blonde had a chance to think about it too much. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it customary for Humans to live in houses? Not storage spaces?"

"M-Morgana stop!" Akiko protested, red faced, turning to try and face the cat, but because he was in her backpack, she just ended up spinning them in a circle.

Ryuji felt his blood boiling. Cafe? Storage space?! Just what the hell was going on here?!

He was about to raise his voice again, but quickly noticed that a couple of people had stopped and were looking at the two teens, frowning and muttering to each other. They couldn’t talk here, there were too many people.

“C’mon.” He growled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along through the crowd. Where was a place they could talk without people looking? His eyes darted back and forth and he walked on ahead blindly. Best just to get them out of there before more people started talking.

There, the benches by the Sakura trees. There were a couple empty ones near the smokers zone. He’d put up with the smell of cigarettes for now.

Akiko didn’t protest as he dragged her along, and plopped the two of them down on a bench. She had figured out that if she slid her backpack down her arm, she had better control of Morgana, and was trying to maneuver him back into her bag more.

“Cafe? Storage space?” He repeated back at her, watching Akiko freeze up a little. “Akiko...”

“I..it’s fine.” She mumbled, her head down, avoiding looking at either Morgana or Ryuji. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.”

“Big deal!? I-!” Ryuji stopped himself from yelling when he saw the flinch in his friends shoulders, pinch in her face and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself.

“Akiko...If my friend is being abused it IS a bi-”

“Sakura-san isn’t abusing me!” Akiko snapped, cutting off Ryuji’s train of thought. “He’s been nothing but amazing to me!” 

He leaned back, giving her some space, as she took a few deep breaths to gather herself.

“Yes he raises his voice sometimes, but that’s all it’s been. He took me in when no one else would. I’d be in juvenile if he didn’t say yes! He gave me a roof over my head! A room all to myself! Me! My own room! I haven't had that since Mom and Dad died!” There was a cracking in her voice and her hand came up to rub at her eyes, pushing her glasses out the way haphazardly. Ryuji realized with a gut stopping force that she was trying to hold back tears.

“I-It doesn’t matter that it’s an attic above a cafe... It’s my own room.” She mumbled, sniffling softly. “The- the smell of coffee and curry is warm and S-Sakura-san lets me read his books without saying anything...” her voice wobbled, and he could see that she was trying so hard not to cry.

Awkwardly, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to him. This was how you comforted a girl right? That’s what he saw on TV... he felt so awkward, still and uncomfortable as his friend cried in front of him, again.

She didn’t seem to mind, letting herself be pulled into his side, wiping at the tears on her face.

“H-He doesn’t hit me...He makes me really, really tasty curry...and he let me keep Morgana.” She continued, defending her guardian against Ryuji’s assumed mistreatment.

“I...I really like it there.” She finally settled on, a note of finality in her voice.

“...If you say so...” Ryuji relented.

Akiko sighed heavily, like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest and she could finally breath again.

“I do...” She mumbled, sitting up a little straighter. She shuffled back away from Ryuji, putting a space between them again. 

“I...I appreciate your concern.” God, she always spoke so formal and shit!

Well, in all honesty, it still didn’t sound like a perfect situation to Ryuji, but, if Akiko was happy with it, he’d just have to trust her judgement on it. Maybe he could think of some excuse to come by this cafe and check it out for himself? He had a decent read when it came to people, always had. He’d clocked Kamoshida as a creep the moment he meet him, after all. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet his friend's temporary guardian? 

What had she said? It was a Curry and Coffee place? And she was staying in Yongen. She had said the guy's name was Sakura-san...He’d have to remember to do some searching online later.

Morgana cleared his throat from the bag, looking more than just a little upset that he’d been cramped back into that thing.

“A-hem!” cried the Cat dramatically. “Can we get a move on!? It’s stuffy in here!”

Akiko nodded, standing up. Woah, she recovered quickly. It didn’t even look like she’d been crying just a moment ago, the heck?

Ryuji also rose to his feet, adjusting his black skinny jeans as the slid down his hips. He needed a new belt.

“If we’re getting a move on, the store’s down this way. Follow me, it’s just off central street.” He offered, leading the way.

As they way, they passed some street politon, standing on a box giving a speech about the struggles of the youth. While it was kinda nice to see an adult acknowledge that the kids like him didn’t have it easy in this world, he just couldn’t bring himself to care about politics.

All that guy’s talk was just a waste of breath if he wasn’t going to do something about it.

“Stick close to me, the shop can be pretty confusing to find sometimes.” Ryuji offered, noticing that Akiko was looking around at all the different shops, looking a little overwhelmed.

The two of them navigated through the crowds, and eventually, they found the place. 

“This is the place! Pretty legit, huh?” He grinned. The neon green of the sign read in english ‘Untouchable’ The windows were protected with metals grates, and the front door was practically plastered over with all kinds of signs, a bunch proclaiming ‘No Solicitation’ and other saying ‘Private Business- We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service’ and even a few ‘No Trespassing' signs too. Between all the signs and the dim alley lights, it was impossible to actually see inside.

“...looks cool.” Akiko mumbled, her grey eyes scanning it all in.

Ryuji was kinda taken aback. “Oh, you into this kinda Military Stuff?”

Akiko shrugged a little, shifting her weight from side to side. It didn’t look like she was going to offer an answer.

“So,uhh, Before we head in...you know anything about guns and shit?” It might help if one of them did, Ryuji was kind of clueless. He’d just grabbed the first model gun that looked cool and was in a decent price range for him.

Akiko didn’t reply right away, so he took it as a no.

“I guess we can just ask the guy behind the counter if we can’t figure out what we want. You ready?” 

His friend nodded, and surprisingly she was the one to open the door and lead the way inside. Whoa, colour him impressed. He followed behind quickly, letting the door fall closed behind him.

It looked the same as it had the last time he was in, just as sketchy as ever.

Exposed pipes on the industrial ceiling had a few mannequin torsos hung on display, showing off different kinds of under armour vests and military style coats.

The guy behind the desk had his feet up, old ass laptop next to his combat boots, playing the news on full screen. The guy, the owner Ryuji was pretty sure because it was the same dude as before, wasn’t paying attention to the news, reading a magazine spread across his legs.

Boxes and boxes and boxes of different kinds of model guns filled the shelves, more than a couple of those models fully assembled and painted and on display. The counter that was separating the teens from the shop owner was killed with display knives and swords, and different kinds of airsoft ammo, and maybe some bottles of paint-ball pellets? 

The guy looked up and scoffed at the teens, shaking his head, but saying nothing.

Ryuji scowled, but didn’t want to start a fight. The dude was scary. He had a neck tattoo! Dude was seriously hard core!

Akiko didn’t seem affected by the man's harsh gaze, just ducked her head and moved further into the shop, moving to the boxes.

She scanned the shelfs with an intensity that shocked Ryuji. Did she actually know about guns and shit? Why hadn’t she said anything?

“...what’s your budget?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t have a lot of money left... I’ll need to go looking for a part time job once we’re done here.” Akiko mumbled, ignoring his question, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. She pulled a box off the shelf and looked closely at the design.

Oh shit, he hadn’t thought about that! He pulled out his wallet and checked his savings. He still had a decent amount left, he hadn’t blown it all at the arcade.

“Uuuh, I got 30,000 yen.” He mumbled.

Akiko put the box she was inspecting back and pulled out a one from two spaces above that one. She passed it over to Ryuji without looking at him.

“Here.”

He fumbled with the box for a moment, looking at the display image. A Shotgun? Oh hell yeah! That was just his style! He checked the price and shrugged. 10,000 yen ain’t that bad...

Another box came into his peripheral vision. The display picture was different. It was one of those automatic guns with the big metal drums on the underside. Like in those old gangster movies!

“For Takamaki-san. We’ll split the cost” Akiko clarified, walking past Ryui as she moved over to a different shelf. He glanced at the price tag and grimaced. 15,000 yen? This was getting to be pretty pricey pretty quickly.

“Yo, how are you so good at this?” He had to know. Cost aside, this was so cool! She was just grabbing like, the best guns for each of them like magic and he was eager to learn too! This was so badass!

“...my dad was really into models.” Akiko offered after a moment of hesitation. “Model guns, model cars, model trains. He loved them.”

“Oh yeah? That’s pretty neat!”

“...we used to build them together. He really liked the complicated ones.” She admitted softly, pulling another box from the shelf and looking it over before nodding to herself and holding it closer to her chest. Guess that was her gun then.

Ryuji cleared his throat. As glad as he was to be learning stuff about his new friend, she didn’t really sound super happy so, maybe it would be best to change the conversation.

“Should we get some knives too? Or should this be good?”

“...I...I can’t really afford anymore.” Akiko mumbled softly, ducking her head.

“Yeah, same...”

The guy behind the counter looked up as they approached the counter, but didn’t lower his feet. His sharp silver eyes glared at them from below the rim of his hat.

“You kids know what you want yet?” He growled.

Ryuji ruffled at being called a kid, but Akiko just put her box on the counter and he snuck a look at the display picture. Huh? It was a better model of the handgun he’d given her a couple days ago. She liked that thing? She could have picked any other gun! Whatever, if she liked it...

“...is it possible to pay for half of this model as well? We would like to split the cost....sir.” Akiko asked, taking the second box from Ryuji’s arms and bowing deeply at the man behind the counter who looked down at the boxes, then back up to the two teenagers, glancing between them booth, rolling the toothpick between his teeth in thought.

“Oh?” There was a tone to his voice that he hadn’t shown Ryuji last week. “You a collector? This here’s an enthusiast's shop. I’m always happy to help fresh faces.”

Akiko nodded silently, and Ryuji stuffed his hands into his pockets and decided to watch. If Akiko could manage to butter this guy up because she knew some stuff, then he wasn’t gonna get involved. Not unless the guy got creepy!

The Clerk finally got his feet off the table and set his magazine aside, grabbing both boxes and pulling them closer to him, he picked up the one that Akiko had picked for herself, and looked it over with an impressed look.

“This shit isn’t for a beginner. You sure you can handle it?”

“Yes sir.” Akiko said, holding her own, even if she wasn’t meeting the man’s eye, looking firmly at the counter top instead.

“Hmmp...Alright...” The guy leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. He rung them both up and before too long the two teens were back in the alley, several thousand yen poor-er than they had been before.

“Well look at you little-miss genius!” Ryuji shoved her shoulder gently, “You totally handled that guy like a pro!”

Akiko flushed and rubbed her arm where Ryuji had pushed her. Opps! Had he pushed her too hard? His bad. Shit.

“...he seemed like a nice guy.” She mumbled.

“HA! Maybe to you!” Ryuji laughed. “Guy practically told me to get lost before I scared away his regulars last time I was in!”

Akiko didn’t have anything to say about that, just held the plastic bag that held her order.

“...did you want me to assemble your model for you?” Akiko asked, starting to walk away, moving back towards the street.

“Really?! You’d do that for me?! Aww thanks AkiAki! You’re the best!”

Ryuji threw a shoulder over her shoulder and cheered. Aw man, he totally lucked out! His new friend was so cool~!

\--------------------------------


	6. Chapter 6: Yoshizawa, Ann, Ryuji, Sojiro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was harder for me to get out.
> 
> Ann's point of view is a hard one for me.

Chapter 6: Yoshizawa, Ann, Ryuji, Sojiro.

\-----------

“Yoshizawa-san, we must say again, if you ever need anything from us, please do not hesitate to ask.” Bowed the man in the suit and tie, the assistant vice principal, if Kasumi remembered correctly.

“Thank you Sensei, but I’m sure I’ll be just fine!” She smiled brightly. It was kind of them to be concerned, but they didn’t have to worry! As much as it hurt...to lose her little sister... she had to be strong. She had to be strong so she could achieve their goal for both of them!

“We must saw, an athletic talent such as your own is a privilege to have at our school.” Interjected the man in the gym clothes, a digital stopwatch hanging around his neck. That was...Kamoshida-sensei right? The PE teacher? She’d heard he was an olympian! She’d have to find the time to talk to him, ask him questions about preparing for big competitions and what to expect.

“It’s so nice for us to finally accept some promising students!” Kamoshida-sensei beamed, leaning forward in his seat. 

“Kamoshida-sensei...” The other teacher laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That being said, Yoshiwaza-chan, you should be careful of who you associate with her on campus. We have a few...troublesome students.” Kamoshida sighed and leaned back in his seat, shaking his head, muttering something under his breath.

“S-Sensei?” Just what was he implying? Wasn’t Shujin famous for its athletics program? Surely that meant it had hard-working and dedicated students!

“Principal Kobiyakawa decided to boost Shujin’s already prestigious reputation as an Athletics school, and expand our horizons into a Reform school as well.”

“Reform school?”

“K-Kamoshida-sensei maybe it’s best if we didn’t discuss other students-” The other teacher tried to interject, looking nervous, but Kamoshida sent him a look that stopped him.

“I’m merely looking out for the best interest of our newest rising star, Yoshizawa-chan. You wouldn’t want her associating with a convicted prostitute or delinquents now would you?” He spat the words out like poison and Kasumi jumped in her seat.

Such vile disgust for students! Was this man really a teacher? But then again...She had to admit he had a point. There were known prostitutes at this school? She shuddered to think of what kind of girls she might encounter in the halls of Shujin. 

“I still find it absolutely ridiculous that we even took a chance on that troubled girl!” He continued on, venting his frustrations to a silent audience. “She didn’t even last a week after transferring here and I’m already preparing to talk to the school board about her behaviour! Unbelievable...”

How frightening! This transfer student sounded just awful! Hopefully, if she kept herself busy enough with practice, they’d never have to bump into each other. Kasumi hoped so at least.

“I-If that’s everything, we should really be getting Yoshizawa-san to class.”

As they were shuffling out of the office, they bumped into a teacher and another student just about to enter it. 

“Oh! Kawakami-sensei! Thank you for getting on...the issue we talked about this morning. Thank you for your support.” Kamoshida-sensei wasn’t looking at the teacher in the yellow sweater though, he was giving a firm glare towards...oh! It was her!

Kasumi bowed at the waist and smiled brightly at the girl.

“Oh! Thank you so much for the other day, Senpai!”

Her Senpai looked surprised that she was being addressed, but eventually nodded quietly.

“Oh? You know her, Yoshizawa-chan?”

Kasumi didn’t like the tone in Kamoshida-sensei’s voice, but replied politely regardless. “Yes. She gave me a helping hand earlier!”

Just a few days ago, while they were riding the train to school, Kasumi had given up her seat for a sweet older woman who was just trying to carry her groceries home, but some business man slid in faster than the old woman could turn around.

Then Senpai interjected, having seen the whole thing go down. The second year girl offered to carry the women's bags, and the two girls ended up splitting the load until the woman had to leave. The older student had vanished into the crowd before she could hunt her down and thank her for her assistance.

It was the same girl, there was no way Kasumi would forget that hair! Maybe.. Should Kasumi buy her senpai a hair ribbon? As a thank you gift? They could be matching!

Her musing was interrupted by Kamoshida-sensei sighing loudly.

“I recommend you steer clear of the likes of her, if you have any consideration for your future.” He warned, spitting out the word ‘her’ like it tasted foul in his mouth.

“Huh?”

“Remember the discussion we just had? There are a number of students at this school you shouldn’t get involved with, if you value your reputation, that is. This one’s at the top of the list.”

Huh?

Wait a moment...

“Oh! The convicted prosti-!?” She stopped herself short, eyes wide. Oh no! Not out loud! Dumb Kasumi! Silly Kasumi!

Her Senpai didn’t react verbally, just turned her head to the side and looked away, like she hadn't heard anything.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the guidance office.” Kawakami-sensei chimed in, looking very uncomfortable with the whole situation, like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world but there.

Kasumi understood, right now she kind of wished the whole world just would open up and swallow her. She felt so foolish.

‘We should get going too,” Kamoshida-sensei smiled, “Don’t want to get in the way of guiding this delinquent after all.”

He was smiling but his words felt like poison to Kasumi and they weren’t even directed at her.

She followed her teachers down the hall, glancing over her shoulder to watch Kawakami-sensei and her older classmate slipped into the office that she’d just left.

Was she really a bed person? Kasumi didn’t think so, but...

She turned her attention forward and took a deep breath.

It was time to focus on class, the mystery of her quiet, possibly dangerous, senpai could wait.

\----------------------------------------------

By the time Kawakami-sensei and Akio returned to class, Ann thought she might have set a new world record for most anxious leg tapping in... however long it was that those too had left the class.

Kawakami-sensei took her place at the front of class, and Akiko made her way back to her seat, keeping her head down and her shoulders slumped, trying to make herself as small as possible.

Once she sat back down in her seat behind Ann, the blonde turned around to face her friend, not caring if Kawakami got mad at her, she’d take the blame.

“...are you okay?” She whispered. Why had she been called out of the room? Was everything okay? Did it have to do with the rumors? Or Kamoshida?

“....after class.” Akiko offered, instead of an explanation, and it would just have to do.

Ann turned back around in her seat and pretended to pay attention to what Kawakami-sensei was saying, but it was a struggle.

There were so many thoughts swirling around in her head. Akiko’s mysterious situation... her renewed and tentative friendship with Ryuji...Her power, her...Persona... the knowledge of a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD based on the cognitions of the Humans of their world, that somehow they could travel to via a Smartphone app!

Everything that happened to Shiho...

The nervous leg bouncing was back.

She couldn’t wait for class to be over.

By the time the final bell rang, she was practically jumping out of her seat and turned to Akiko, who was still packing her notebook and pencil case away, let alone Morgana, who was still curled up inside her desk.

“So...what was this morning about?” She asked, adjusting her bangs back into place. “You know, the meeting with Kawakami-sensei?”

Akiko looked up and Ann as she finally offered her bag to the cat, who slipped inside quickly, before any of the other students could notice his presence. It was so hard to read this girl's expression! Ann wanted desperately to do something with her hair, style it, straighten it, braid it, trim her bangs for her, something!

The girl in the glasses took a moment to reply, seeming to think it over before answering. “...Kamoshida-sensei told her I’ve been....associating with Sakamoto-san.”

“What the hell? You’re allowed to have friends.” Ann complained, frowning.

Akiko shook her head negatively, standing up to join Ann, she sighed deeply, looking really downtrodden. “...They think we’re dating.”

That threw Ann for a loop. Ryuji? Dating? Him off all people!? That was a laugh!

“But like...you aren’t right?”

Akiko shook her head again, her hair swishing from side to side. “...no. Still in trouble though...”

Ann raised a manicured brow.

“Trouble? Why would you be in trouble? Dating isn’t against the school rules.”

Akiko looked uncomfortable, glancing around to see if any of their classmates were listening in on them. Oh right...they weren’t somewhere they could exactly talk freely, where they?

“Come on,” Ann offered the other girl her hand. “We can walk together to the roof and talk on the way there.”

Akiko didn’t immediately accept her offer, staring at the extended hand hesitantly, her own pale hands twisting nervously around her bag straps, holding the heavy, cat-filled school bag over her shoulder.

Ann didn’t exactly blame her for not jumping at the offer, but she’d promised herself she’d be persistent, dang it!

“Look, I think we got off to a bad start the other day. I made some bad assumptions about you that I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.” It wasn’t much, but it was the best that she could offer right now.

“...it....it’s fine.” Akiko mumbled, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear for a moment, before it just fell right back out. God, Ann really, really wanted to help this girl with that mop she called a hairstyle.

“It’s not fine.” Ann insisted, pushing forward. “I judged you without getting to know you! Me! Of all people! I hate when people judge me without getting to know me, so it was really wrong of me to do the same to you.”

Ever since middle school, when Ann’s body started to...develop, the way that it had, everyone around her thought that they knew exactly what kind of girl she was. Her blonde hair didn’t help, everyone always just thought she was some...gyaru-girl or something!

It was so wrong of her to just take the rumors about another girl at face value.

“Please, Aki-chan, I want to be friends! And friends don’t judge each other!”

Akiko looked shocked, her mouth dropping open, silently mouthing a few words before she finally smiled softly and nodded.

“...o-okay...Ann-chan.”

Akiko’s hand was cool in her own, soft and smooth like satin, and they shook on their promise to get to know each other, honestly, no judgement.

As friends.

\-----

Just before they got to the roof, at the top of the stairs, now that they were out of sight, Ann turned and fixed her gaze upon her new friend.

“So...before we go up there,” Ann started off, “Ryuji told me a little bit about your situation, but -”

“He what?” Akiko gasped, her gaze turning to the door, where no doubtedly Ryuji was already waiting for them.

Ann quickly back peddled, “Whoa, whoa, it’s okay, he didn’t really tell me anything! Just that the situation wasn’t what people thought and that it wasn’t his place to talk about it...”

Akiko stared at Ann for a long moment, her gaze uncomfortably cold and calculating as she seemed to be judging Ann’s honesty.

Eventually, the shorter girl relaxed a little, sighed and leaned against the wall behind her, crossing her arms across her chest. “It’s not.” She said finally, “His place to say, I mean.” 

“Aki-chan...we’re friends now too... you can talk to me, you know.” Ann offered, taking a step forward.

The other girl looked away from her, glancing down the staircase at nothing.

“I...I understand if you don’t want to talk to me.” Ann admitted, “I was kind of a real bitch to you the other day, and you didn’t deserve it. But you listened to me when I needed someone to talk to about Kamoshida, and you helped save me! so the least I can do is be here for you if you need it!”

“A-Ann-chan...” Akiko mumbled, uncrossing her arms slowly, still looking uncomfortable. “It's not you, it's just that It’s.... It’s not that I don’t want to.... It’s just ...it’s hard.”

Ann let her talk, she felt if she pushed now, she might break the smaller girl.

“I...the only reason I told Sakamoto-san was because he saw me have a panic attack and instead of being a jerk about it, he offered me a solution and bought me dinner.” 

Ryuji did that? Well...Ann wasn’t totally surprised, despite that appearance and attitude sometimes, he could be a real softy. She’d met his Mom a couple times in middle school, there was no way a Momma’s boy like him wasn’t a totally teddy-bear on the inside.

“P-Plus we’d just escaped Kamoshida’s Palace for the second time, and S-Sakamoto-san had just awoken his... Persona to save me..." The girl glanced down the stairs, nervous for some reason. What for? Noone was coming up here but them after all.

“So, I was so tired that I just- I wasn’t thinking...my mouth just started moving before I could stop myself, and then it was too late to stop...” 

“It’s fine.” Ann raised a hand, stopping the other girl from rambling further in defense of her own discomfort. As much as Ann wanted to press, it didn’t seem like she’d be getting any answers today.

“Just know....just know that I’m here if you ever want to talk about it with me.” She finally offered, letting the conversation end there for now.

Akiko nodded, looking grateful to be let off the spot.

Ann sighed. She really did hope that one day they could be close enough that the other girl would feel comfortable sharing.

But if what Akiko needed from Ann right now was space and quiet understanding then...

It would just have to do.

\------

The sensation of traveling into the Metaverse was weird. It was like the air was pulsing against her skin, almost? Ann wasn’t quite sure how to describe it.

“But daammnn...” Ryuji mumbled from behind her, causing Ann to turn and see what it was that caught his attention. The bleach blond quickly avoided her gaze, looking anywhere but her.

“Hmm? What’s up?” Why was he acting so suspiciously?

“N-nothing! I-I-uh-” He cleared his throat a bit, “I was just thinking we should choose a code name for you too!”

“Code name?”

“As Phantom Thieves, it would be unwise to go around using our real names.” Morgana piped up, twisting his body, stretching himself out.

“What are your names?” She asked, wanting to get a feel for what the theme was.

“I’m Skull!” Ryuji said, stabbing a thumb towards his mask. That made sense, she guessed.

“That’s Mona, and we call her Joker.”

“Joker?” Ann noticed that they were all in English. Huh. Odd choice, but she wasn’t complaining, she was fluent after all. 

“It’s because she’s our Wild Card!” Morgana- sorry, Mona, explained. “She has not only the power of her own Persona, a powerful one on it’s own, but Joker can use multiple Persona! She’s proven herself to be quite useful, if I do say so myself!” 

That was... something. Ann didn't know what, but it was something.

“So...Joker, Mona, and Skull...” Ann thought, taking a moment to think.

“With that outfit, it’s gotta be something like, Sexycat~!” Ryuji leered, eyes wandering up and down her red and pink outfit. 

“No way in hell!” Ann snapped, getting ready to punch the little snot.

“...What do you want to be called?” Akiko- Joker, darn it, it was going to take her a while to remember, asked.

“Well, something better than just a little cat...” Ann sighed, thinking about all the different kinds of possible felines she could go for...

“What about...” Cougar was a no go, obviously. Lion was too masculine sounding... maybe- “Panther?”

There was no instant reaction from everyone so she felt the need to search for validation. “That sounds pretty cool, right? And it’s in English too, so I match with the team...”

“Sounds good to me!” Skull settled, rolling his shoulder.

“Alright!” He cried, “Get ready Kamoshida! Panther, Skull, MonaMona and Joker and comin’ to steal your Treasure!”

\--------

They were getting close, or so Morgana was saying.

Thanks to Mona's advice, and Joker's uncanny ability to notice little details, they had made quite a bit of progress, in Ann's opinion.

It was truly sickening just how much this place really was the inside of that assholes head. The statues were headless girls in gym uniforms, every painting a portrait of himself...that disgusting room with the pictures of Shiho.

She'd wanted to burn the room to ashes the moment they pushed open that secret door, but Joker found a map leading them deeper into the castle, so at the very least, it had done them some good, if not fanned her need for revenge.

He'd pay. That bastard would pay through the teeth for everything he’d done to Shiho.

"The Treasure should be at the top of this tower." Morgana announced, pointing just beyond the doors ahead of them. It had taken them this long to get here, and as tired as they were, they weren’t ready to stop just yet. They had done their best to avoid as many fights as possible, but it just couldn’t be avoided in some circumstances.

Thankfully no one had sustained any serious injuries yet, just a few bumps and bruises here and there. Any of the magical attacks that might have caused them any major damage, were usually healed up as quickly as possible by either Mona, or Joker, now that she had helped the Persona named Silkie remember her true form.

That had certainly been a sight to see! Ann thought that they would just be fighting these monsters, vanishing them into little black ashes, but occasionally a Shadow would realize that it couldn’t fight it’s way out of a situation, and would try and reason for it’s life! Akiko would talk with it, strike a deal of some kind, and in a flash of light, the Shadow would practically fling itself into the black and white mask that Akiko wore instead of her oversized glasses. So far, Ann had seen her do this with at least five different monsters, turning their power into a strength!

It was kind of incredible. She understood what Morgana meant by ‘Wild Card’ earlier, now.

"Let's do this." Akiko nodded, ready to push onwards.

Ann had to admit, she was...really impressed by the other girl. She was like a totally different person from the shy stuttering girl who was scared to take Ann's hand just a few short hours ago.

Here in the Metaverse, Akiko was so confident, and sure in herself. She spoke firmly, and didn’t hesitate over her words. She stood up straight, and walked with a determination in her step. 

If Ann was being entirely honest with herself, it was incredibly attractive.

The way those black leather pants clung to her thighs, the swish of the other girls hips as she led the way through danger. The smooth flat plain of her stomach, wrapped tightly in a grey, silk patterned corset that just cut under the curve of her breasts. The way Akiko’s breasts swelled over the lip of the corset, wrapped in a silky white button up that drew the eye towards the valley between her individual mounds... the way her coat tails bellowed out behind her as she walked with confidence, practically strutting down the halls in her leather boots, heels clicking as she went.

It was by no means as sensual as Ann’s own outfit, skin tight leather and more zippers than she could count, but there was a sophisticated style to Joker’s outfit that Ann couldn’t deny. 

The blonde girl had long ago accepted that she wasn’t particularly hard set on when it came to the gender of the people she found attractive, having admitted to herself back in middle school that she loved Shiho as much more than a friend. It wasn’t something she was ashamed of, though it wasn’t something she went around shouting for the world to hear.

It was crazy what some confidence could do to a girl, Ann mused, as she followed closely behind their leader.

“There’s a tough looking one ahead.” Mona warned, spotting a knight pacing near the stairs that they would need to ascend to continue.

Joker nodded, and waited until the massive being in Armour had it’s back turned before she rushed forward, intent on taking it by surprise and getting the upper hand in battle.

In a flurry of twirling black leather, Ann watched as their leader climbed onto the Shadow’s shoulders and grabbed hold of its helmet with both hands, before flipping forward, slamming the lumbering guard into the ground, forcing it to explode into a pool of shade, a red winged angel in full armour with a massive broad sword in hand rising from the inky black shadows.

Ann decided to attack first, imploring Carmen to render the angel’s wings to ashes. She wasn’t strong enough to do just that, although she did manage to singe a few feathers before the fires were blown out with a heavy slap of its wings.

Mona fired his slingshot from the side, aiming for the wing that Ann had damaged, missing most of them, some plinking off the creature's helmet uselessly.

Joker, having recovered from the tumble she’d taken at the start of the fight, rushed forward with a small dagger drawn, jumping to try and strike while it was distracted by Mona’s shots, but the beast was too fast, twisting at the waist and catching Akiko in the side with the pommel on his blade.

The force of the strike, the momentum of their opponents movements, sent their leader flying across the room, crumpling violently to the floor in a motionless heap.

“AKIKO!” Ryuji screamed, calling forth his Persona in a panicked fury. There was a crack of thunder, a bolt of blinding white light, and just like that the Angel was knocked to its knees, twitching painfully as currents of electricity pulsed through its body, crackling visibly off it’s armour.

“Finish it!” Mona cried, blade drawn. He rushed from behind, slicing at the shadows back, causing it to cry out in agony, and Panther followed up with a hail of bullets, her Tommy-gun rattling violently in her hands.

That seemed to do the trick, as the Angel soon melted back into shadows, leaving nothing but a small pile of coins in its place.

“Akiko!” Ryuji cried, having already abandoned the fight, rushing to Joker’s side.

Their leader was already trying to recover, struggling to her hands and knees. Ann could see the tremble in her limbs from here.

“I’m fine.” She managed out through gritted teeth, trying to brush off her teammates' hands, but Ryuji persisted, helping her up slowly.

“Stay down Aki-chan, that was a really bad hit.” Ann offered, coming to her side as well, hovering nervously.

Akiko was back on her own two feet, though a little wobbly to say the least, wrapping an arm around her middle protectively, and Ann noticed that her left hand was clutching gingerly at the right side of her ribcage.

“I’m fine.” She insisted, going to move forward but two different sets of hands raised up to stop her. “Wha-...Guys, I’m fine, I can keep going.”

“Let’s at least go back to the last safe room and rest up for a minute.” Ann offered. It was admirable of their leader to want to keep going, but not if she was going to push herself too hard! The other girl had just been tossed across the room by a creature several times larger than herself, like she was nothing but a ragdoll! She deserved a break.

“That sounds like a great idea, Panther.” Ryuji agreed, already turning, ready to lead the way back towards the last set of those warping doors they had encountered. “We can rest up, heal up, I don’t know about you girls, but I could use a nice cool drink of water.”

Akiko seemed to take a moment to think it over before caving. “I think I have some bottled water in my storage. It won’t be cold though.” Joker began walking forward, habitually taking the lead.

“Ehhh Waters’ water.” Ryuji let her, throwing his hands behind his head as he stretched.

Once they were back in the safe room, Akiko sunk into the first available chair with a small groan, moving gingerly.

“Hey Monamona, can’t you just heal her like with the fire and the ice magic and stuff?” Ryuji prompted, turning on the cat who’d stay’d silent the whole walk back, his ears pressed low to his skull and his tail hung limply.

“...Not as well as I wish I could.” He finally offered, looking up at them all with sad blue eyes. “Unfortunately, because the magic that the Persona use is based on cognition, it’s much easier to take away the pain brought about by magical injugy. Physical ones are much harder to deal with.”

Morgana moved close to Joker, who was still sitting in her chair, unmoving since she sunk deeply into her seat.

“I’ll do my best, but I’m sorry if it won't be much.” He promised, calling forth his Persona once more, the air in the safe room whipping about, dancing through everyones hair.

\--------

It was slower progress than it was before, Akiko’s running slowed to more of a jogging pace now, but it was still progress.

They’d found three of those gross skull looking things that merged together into something new when brought together, totally strange. They’d made it past the walkway of swinging axes that only stopped once they managed to snag the keys from the guards, completely insane! 

They finally reached a floor where they couldn’t climb any higher, but Morgana informed them that they wouldn’t need to. The treasure was close by, on the same floor, so it must be behind that large set of doors that were locked shut.

After climbing up the statue of another girl in a uniform, they entered what could only be described as a grand hall!

“Alright! We’re in!

“Quiet down, you moron!” Morgana hushed, jumping down after them, landing on Ryuji’s head. “We’re not alone.” He pointed down into the hall of knights and...

“Oh shit it’s Kamoshida!” Ryuji gasped, crutching down low so that it would be harder to see them from this height. 

“And a ton of soldiers...” Ann reminded him. She could count at least six of them from this angle, lined up in two rows, ready to escort their ‘King’ wherever he went.

“How have you not captured the intruders yet?!” Kamoshida yelled at his men, who bowed before his feet.

“We apologize, my liege!”

Mona laughed a little, leaping off of Ryuji’s head and pointing at the door at the end of the hall, just behind Kamoshida’s massive throne. “I bet he’d never imagine we’re in the same room as him. Come on, it’s just ahead, I can feel it.”

The group of teens snuck across the walkway, keeping low and close to the wall, watching the stairs for any sign of movement. It seemed like Kamoshida was too busy yelling at his men, and his men were too busy cowering before him to see the door open just a crack, before closing softly.

Just beyond the doors was a hallway, that in Ann’s opinion, had no right looking so beautiful, and past a set of extremely sturdy looking doors, they found a room full to the brim with gold.

Gold chests, giant golden goblets, barrels and chests overflowing with gold coins to the point where the floor was nothing but a sea of sparkling glittering gold, shifting beneath their feet as they walked inside.

“Whoa! What is this place!? Holy shit!” Ryuji explained, turning around multiple times, getting the full three hundred and sixty degree view. “That Treasure thing’s gotta be in this place for sure!”

Akiko pushed further into the room, sliding up a coin pile, getting closer to-

“Hey! Whoa, what is that!” Ann cried, rushing forward to get as close as her leader was. “It’s...floating in the air...” She wondered aloud in awe.

In the center of the room, just about their heads was a large pulsating mass of...sparkling light? She wasn’t sure how else to describe it other than warm shimmering light, that didn’t keep a consistent shape, the edges of it rippling in and out of sight. It almost looked like it was breathing. She reached up to touch it, but her fingers slipped through it, like it wasn’t even there to begin with.

Morgana moved forward, laughing a little under his breath. “No way...the Treasure! I can’t believe it!” He turned to Akiko, stars in his eyes.

“To think we’d find the treasure on the first day! You’re incredible, Joker!”

Akiko flushed a little, rubbing the back of her neck shyly.

“Wait? The Treasure is that cloudy looking thing? Are you sure?” Ryuji asked, looking a little skeptical. Ann could sort of understand his confusion. They were supposed to steal the Treasure right? How were they supposed to steal something they couldn’t even touch?

“Just hold on a second!” Mona groaned, giving Ryuji a tired look. “I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far. I just didn’t think we could do it in a day!”

Morgana cleared his throat, before pointing up to the large sparkling cloud with a small white paw. “Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.”

Ann didn’t quite understand, but she let Morgana continue.

“What do you mean?” Ryuji groaned, resting his weight against one of the wooden barrels.

“Desires have no physical form by nature,” Mograna began, raising a paw dramatically. “Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure! Once they’re conscious that they’re desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself!”

“But,” Ann interjected, kinda following where Morgana was going, but only just vaguely. “How do we do that?”

Morgana grinned, showing off his little fangs. “We warn them. Tell them, “We’re going to steal your heart!””

Ryuji perked up at that, jumping forward excitedly. “So, we’re gonna send a calling card?! That’s totally something a phantom thief would do!”

Morgana nodded, clearly enjoying the enthusiasm to his plan. “Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain!....I I-i think.”

Now Ryuji didn’t look as confident as he had just a moment ago. “That again?” He sighed, before eventually shrugging and accepting Morgana’s plan.

“Sounds like it’s worth a shot at least! Oh! If we’re sending a calling card to the Real Kamoshida, can I write it?!”

With an infiltration route secure, and a plan set, they decided to head home for the night.

It was later than they had anticipated staying and Ann was ready for a good long hot soak in her tub, until her fingers turned into prunes and the hot water ran out.

\--------------------------------------------

Ryuji flopped backwards into his bed and groaned heavily, sinking deep into the futon, stretching his limbs out into every direction, even spreading apart his fingers and his toes. His bad leg twinged painfully under his kneecap and he pulled that one closer to his body, protectively.

“Uuuuggghhhhh.” He groaned, twisting over onto his side with more effort than it should have taken. His whole body felt like he’d run a marathon, but he felt good. Accomplished. 

He reached out and grabbed at his phone from where it was charging on the floor next to his bed.

He pulled up the group chat with his teammates and started typing.

 **Ryuji:** You girls back home yet? I’m so pooped...

 **Ryuji:** It hit me like a goddamn ton of bricks the seconds I layed down.

 **Ann:** Well, we did do a lot of work today. Good job everyone!

 **Ann:** I can’t believe we found that Treasure thing so soon!

 **Ann:** That being said too, I’m really really tired too. Can we hold off a few days before we go back in? I want to rest up a bit before we deal with those monsters again.

Ryuji could not blame her. Honestly, if she hadn’t suggested it, he was going to. He could go for a break too, he was really out of shape. Maybe he should start training again?

 **Ryuji:** Yeah, same. I’m not in as good a shape as I used to be.

 **Akiko:** Saturday? It’s a half day at school. More time to spend in the Palace.

That sounded perfect to Ryuji! It gave him plenty of time to rest up, and work on that calling card!

 **Ryuji:** Sounds great to me!

 **Ann:** Saturday works for me.

 **Ann:** I’m going to sleep. See you guys tomorrow!

 **Ryuji:** See ya!

 **Akiko:** Night.

He closed the chat and put his phone to the side to get a little shut eye himself.

Today had been a huge day and tomorrow was just one step closer to bringing that bastard Kamoshida down for sure!

He couldn’t wait.

Like an anticipation he hadn’t felt since he was a little kid, Ryuji fell asleep with a smile on his face.

\--------------------------------------------

It was getting to be late.

Sojiro glanced at the clock and noticed that he’d have to close up within the next twenty minutes if he wanted to get home in time for Futaba’s movie night.

There was this new cartoon movie that had just come out the other day that wasn’t really anything that Sojiro would normally want to watch, but Futaba wouldn’t shut up about it, so he was more than willing to sit down and watch it with her if it made her happy.

Sojiro glanced at the door, then back at the clock. Maybe he should just give the attic brat a spare copy of the key?

He was getting sick and tired of waiting around for her, if she was going to continue cutting her curfew this close.

The store bell chimed and Sojiro opened his mouth, ready to give the girl an earful, a lecture about the importance of his time, and how while she might not find it valuable, he certainly did, but the sight before him had the words dying on his tongue.

Akiko looked positively dead on her feet.

Her shoulders were slumped, hardly supporting that heavy looking backpack, had she taken that cat to school again? She was going to get in trouble if they caught it...

Her expression was one that he’d never seen from his ward before, though he had certainly seen it on his adopted daughter. That was the look of someone who had drained all of their batteries, and just needed to sleep to charge themselves back up again.

“I-...you-....” He sighed, before bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Get to bed. Before you pass out in my store.”

Akiko turned her head slowly, looking at Sojiro blankly as she seemed to process the words he said, taking a solid thirty seconds before she nodded and started to shuffle her way upstairs. 

“Geez.” He sighed, watching her go, the soft thudding of footsteps above leading over towards the front of the store, near her bed, before a thump and nothing. 

He almost wanted to go upstairs and check on her, make sure she at least took her shoes off before she went to bed but he quickly reminded himself that it wasn’t his business how she handled herself.

As long as she didn’t cause any trouble, he didn’t care what the attic brat did.

Quieter than usual, Sojiro closed up shop, did the numbers, hit the lights, flipped the sign and hesitated for a moment.

There hadn’t been any noise at all upstairs since the thump once she’d first gone upstairs...

A small peek wouldn’t hurt.

Sojiro quietly crept up the stairs and peered around the corner.

Akiko lay flopped across the futon, shoes kicked off and uniform coat draped across the chair at her desk. She lay face down, hugging her pillow tightly to her chest. Her cat, Morgana, was standing on the bed, meowing rather insistently, batting at her face with his little paws, but the girl was dead to the world. Sojiro could hear the soft snores just under the cats furvert whining.

“Sheesh...” He mumbled, heading back down the stairs. He managed to find some fish in the store fridge that was going to go bad if he didn’t make use of it soon, so he decided to donate it to a hungry cat.

“Here kitty kitty.” He coaxed from the top of the stairs, getting the cat's attention for a moment. “Come here handsome kitty, I have fish for you.” He called, as soft as he could, trying not to wake his ward. She needed her sleep, obviously.

The cat leapt off the bed, practically sprinting towards him once he said the word fish. He laughed and passed over the plate, setting it on the floor, out of the way of the stairs. The second the plate was available, the cat began to chow down, gobbling the bits of tuna up like a vacuum.

He’d get her to wash it in the morning before she went to school.

Sojiro straightened up, stretching his back until he got the pop he was looking for.

Alright.

Now that that was settled, it was time to go home.

He had a movie night with his daughter to get to.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------


	7. Chapter 7: Ryuji, Sojiro, Makoto, Morgana

Chapter 7: Ryuji, Sojiro, Makoto, Morgana

\---------------------------------------------------

The last chime of the day was like a starting whistle for Ryuji, who was the first to leave his classroom. He made a beeline down the hall, heading straight to class 2-D.

The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in the sky, and after getting a solid night's sleep the night before, he was feeling refreshed and ready to do some training!

He doubted that Ann would be interested, she’d never really been the athletic type, not to mention she would probably want to spend as much time with Shiho as possible.

Last he’d heard, Suzui was still unconscious. No doubt Ann would be glued to her bedside every waking moment available until her best friend awoke. Totally understandable, Ryuji could hardly blame her. Especially now that they had a secure infiltration route to the Treasure, and a plan to send the calling card on Saturday, that meant they had four days to do...what? Pretend like everything was normal?

That wasn’t something that Ryuji was sure he’d be able to do. Now that he knew about the Metaverse... his Persona...? School just seemed so mundane in comparison! Besides! If they’re plan failed, he was getting expelled, so like, why even bother?

Best to spend the free time he had, Ryuji reasoned to himself, training! His body wasn’t nearly as strong as it used to be, having not really kept up with any of his old workout routines since his leg was broken last year.

He’d been given some physiotherapy instructions by the Doctor, but every time he really tried to do them in earnest, all he could think about was training with the track team and it hurt too much. Physically, and emotionally. 

But now that he had a motivation to train again, a new reason to push his body and get stronger, faster, he felt like a whole new person!

For the first time in almost a year, Ryuji wanted to run laps around the school.

And he was hoping that he’d be able to have a running partner in the form of his newest friend.

If someone had asked Ryuji last month what kind of friend he might make at Shujin, he’d have laughed and told them no one! All the Athletes at school avoided him like the plague! And any of the smarter kids; the ones here for the college prep courses that Shujin offered, all they saw was his bleached blond hair, and heard about his attitude, and ran in the opposite direction. They only saw a delinquent who’d ruin their reputation and sabotage their chances for a good future.

He’d been positive that he’d spend his last two years at Shujin, if he even made it that long, would be spent friendless.

Akiko was certainly not the kind of girl he’d ever really see himself being friends with, but she was growing on him!

She was quiet and shy, not to mention way too formal all the damn time, but she could also kick ass and take names like he’d never seen before and that was enough for him!

“Yo! Akiko!” He waved, smiling brightly as she finally shuffled her way out of class.

She jumped a little, surprised to see him. She didn’t verbally reply right away, just raised a hand in greeting, waving a little before going back to holding her backpack straps.

“You busy after school today?” Ryuji asked, “It’s sunny out today! Perfect for training! You know, get that blood really pumping!”

“Training?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Yeah! You know for...” He looked around conspiratorially before whispering “...for that place.” 

Morgana’s head popped out of the bag, and Ryuji would really have to remind himself that the little furbag must like it in there because it was the only place he ever seemed to be!

“That’s not a bad idea Ryuji! Maybe we should do some physical training here in the real world before we head back into the metaverse to fight!”

“I-....” Akiko started before she cut herself off, biting her lip.

“What up?” Ryuji asked, frowning.

“I...I don’t know if it would be a good idea....” She mumbled towards the floor, shifting uncomfortably.

“What do you mean? What’s so bad about getting some exercise?”

Akiko didn’t reply for a moment before she sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. “I...I guess it would be alright...”

“Wohoo!” Ryuji cheered, fists pumping up in the air. “Follow me! We’ll get changed into our gym clothes and then I’ll show you where I used to run laps!”

“...’kay.”

\------------

Well! It was fair to say that Ryuji was more out of shape than he thought he was!

“Uuuuuuuuuuugh!” He groaned loudly, his pace slowing from a jog to a stumble, to a flop as he rolled onto the grass behind the gym, letting his limbs sprawl everywhere as he gasped for air, blinking up at the clear blue sky above.

A thump to his left, and a lazy turn of his head showed him his running companion, also collapsed onto the soft green grass, panting and sweating just as bad as he was.

Akiko was wearing the Shujin academy gym set, long red sweatpants that fit her a little loosely, the jacket was zipped halfway up, exposing a white t-shirt that hugged the girls frame. Even for her gym uniform, the girl had to do everything by dress code! Ryuji had forgone his jacket, rolling up his t-shirt sleeves and pants legs for extra mobility.

“A-ah...Ah man” He panted, stretching his arms out a little. “This place brings back memories.”

Akiko made a noise, affirming that she was listening to him, but still too busy gasping for air to really speak.

Ryuji, starting to feel more incontrol after his little break, pulled himself back up into a sitting position. “This is my secret trainin’ spot.” He smiled, before catching himself. “Er...it used to be. Back when I was on the track team.”

Akiko turned her head to look at him, waiting for him to continue. She hadn’t done anything with her hair, leaving it down, and now that they were on the ground, the black messy tresses were spread out every which way.

“I’ve uh-...I’ve been thinking about trying to run again.”

“A-Again?” Akiko asked, eyes wide, looking panicked.

Ryuji laughed. “Not now silly! I mean just like, as a hobby? In general?”

She relaxed and sunk back onto the ground, the threat of more running gone for now.

Ryuji laughed a little, guess she wasn’t as used to running as he was, but then again, not to brag or nothing, but not a lot of people where.

“It's just....” He sighed, scratching at the back of his head. “I know we found the Treasure and all but...what if there’s another bad fight? Like the first couple ones? I couldn’t move like I used to, and it....feels really lame.”

Akiko didn’t interrupt him, her grey eyes watching him from behind her glasses intently.

“So, I was thinking about it, and I decided that I need to start building up my muscles again. Anything’s gotta be better than this flimsy body, am I right?”

“...I think you’re already pretty strong, Ryuji.”

W-what?

Why was he-?!

His face was getting redder and redder by the second. His heart was pounding in his chest and for a moment he wasn’t sure he could remember what air was. 

His mouth fumbled over words and sounds he wasn’t even sure were real, as his brain tried to put together what just happened and why it was affecting him so.

Girl. Girl compliment Ryuji. Girl think Ryuji strong. Girl smile at Ryuji and compliment Ryuji! Girl mean it? GIRL COMPLIMENT RYUJI SO SINCERELY!!!

“W-W-Well! I mean!” He laughed, looking away quickly. Holy shit. Holy shit!

Get a hold of yourself, Sakamato! He bedraided himself internally. She’s just a friend why the hell are you getting so worked up!? Friends compliment each other all the time! Plus it’s Akiko! She’s like, super polite! That was just her being polite, right?! She was just being polite! 

“I-I mean!” He cleared his throat again, suddenly even more mortified. Did his voice just crack!? NO! No! This was the worst! Why was this happening to him!?

“I mean...I just wanna be able to help out more, you know!” Play it cool! Play it cool! Maybe she didn’t notice?

“...you seem pretty excited about it.”

“Yup just like, so excited about training!” He jumped to his feet, and clapped his hands. “So- so excited about training, that I’m gonna go run another lap of knee lift springs! You stretch out okay? Don’t want your legs getting all tight!”

He took off before she could respond and Ryuji was happy to have the time to think.

What the hell was that Ryuji?! Suddenly a pretty girl says she thinks you're strong and you forget how to talk! News flash there, Idiot! She’s your friend, you shouldn’t be freaking out at all! Like, come on! She’s not even that pretty!

A glance over at Akiko saw her stretching, like Ryuji told her to. She was sitting up now, bending forward at the waist to lay on top of her outstretched legs and grab her feet. 

She thought he was strong...

The heat was returning to his cheeks, but Ryuji quickly shook his head focused on running. The knee lift sprints were agony, and he really should have just decided to do a regular lap.

Doing that last lap was a bad idea. It might have gotten him out of one awkward situation, but really kicked his ass more than he was intending it to.

He staggered over towards Akiko, his lap finished and his legs ready to fall off completely.

“D-Damn it....I haven't been this beat since Kamoshida took over the track team.”

“I thought he was the volleyball coach?” Akiko asked, sipping from a water bottle, handing a new one over to Ryuji, who gladly took it and chugged nearly half the bottle in a single breath before he replied.

“He is.” Ryuji nodded, before realizing that Akiko didn’t know that full story, so he decided to fill her in. “Before Kamoshida came along, the track team was the biggest thing this school had goin’ for it. That’s why I worked so hard to get in! But Kamoshida got greedy, got tired of sharing the spotlight with the track team, I guess... He got the coach fired, and took over as the sub.”

Ryuji could still remember those couple months of hell, with Kamoshida as coach, practice had been hell.

“He’d give us crazy workouts, and then when we couldn’t do ‘em, he’d just add even more on top of that. Day after day was nothing but that bullshit! He was going after me especially.”

‘Sakamoto! Give me another ten laps!’ ‘Sakamoto! Lift your damn knees!’ ‘Sakamato, if I don’t see improvement in these times you're out of the line up for the meet!’ ‘Why do I even bother, Sakamato? You’ll never be worth any of the time anyone puts into you.’

“He knew... He knew I’d be the kinda guy to try and fight back.”

‘If you don’t like it, why don’t you just try and do something about it, Sakamato?’ ‘THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH SAKAMOTO! YOU’LL NEVER BE WORTH ANYTHING WITH TIMES LIKE THOSE!’

“I was already pissed about the shit he was doing, but then he had to go and bring up my parents!”

“...what about them?” Akiko asked in a small voice, snapping Ryuji out of his head and back into now. “You don’t- ... you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want-”

“Nah it’s fine.” Ryjui cut her off, waving a hand dismissively. “See, right now, it’s just me and my Mom.”

It was strange how easy it was to talk to Akiko. The girl was quiet, and she never seemed to judge him. Even his old friends on the track team, he couldn’t talk to them about stuff like this. He hadn’t even wanted to, but now? He found himself wanting to talk to Akiko. It was kinda crazy how calming just her presence sitting next to him was, that’s what made it so easy for him to continue. 

“All my Dad ever did when he was around was drink.” He admitted freely, trying to play it off lightly. “Sometimes, he’d get drunk enough to beat me... or my mom.” 

He still had nightmares about it. Not as often as he used to, but they still happened. He’d be hovering in his bedroom door frame, watching the large shadowy frame of a man he could hardly even remember the face of anymore, violently throwing arms, lashing out at anything and anyone who dared get into his path. Like a Monster roaming the short hallway of their tiny apartment.

Akiko didn’t say anything, but the palpable concern on her face, the pinch of her brow and the slight tremble of her lip, it was too much. Ryuji avoided looking at her all together and instead turned his head towards the gym. That building didn’t have the best memories for him, too many long and impossible training sessions under Kamoshida took place there for it to ever really be happy for Ryuji, but it was a better feeling than whatever it was that twisted in his gut at Akiko lookin’ so upset.

“I dunno how that ‘effin bastard Kamoshida found out, but he did...and he told the whole damn team.”

He grabbed a handful of grass and tugged, ripping it from the earth. The minor act of violence did nothing to quell the anger in him, just remembering that assholes face when he’d done it, but it was something. He tossed the handful of grass and dirt away, grunting in excretion. It was something to vent his frustration.

“And, bet you can guess what happened next...” He mumbled. 

“Is....is that when he attacked you?”

“Technically, I did attack him first.” Ryuji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I took the first swing. I was just so... so pissed off I couldn’t stop myself! I clocked that jerk right in the jaw!”

And it had felt amazing too. He didn’t care that his hand was aching, knuckles swollen and sore, he’d decked him right across the jaw, sending the sorry excuse of a teacher stumbling backwards.

The rush hadn’t lasted long because Kamoshida recovered quicker than expected, and swung back, his ridiculously meaty body hitting way harder than Ryuji’s fifteen year old one could have ever hoped to do. Ryuji had troubled backwards, but Kamoshida kept coming, leaping onto the boy and in the chaos of the ensuing fight, something behind Ryuji’s knee had snapped.

He’d never screamed so hard in his whole life.

“It was all a set up though.” Ryuji sighed. “He called it an “act of violence” and got the team shut down... After that, all the other guys on the team treated me like, like I was some kinda traitor...”

Not a single schoolmate of his came to visit him while he was recovering. His mom had to go to school to pick up his school work because nobody would answer his phone calls. When he’d returned to school, it was like he was invisible. Like he’d never existed. The students who didn’t ignore him completely, treated him with hostility, like he was some kinda of delinquent. That was when he started to bleach his hair. If people were gonna treat him like a thug, might as well act like one right? He ended up liking it, keeping it up despite the snide remarks from teachers.

“Eh...I can’t really blame ‘em.” Ryuji sighed, flopping back onto the grass and looking up at the sky, turning dark and dark blue as the horizon line changed to a warmer orange and pink sunset. “Because I lost my temper, the track team’s gone now. They lost the chance to compete at the Championship. There would have been College scouts there, some of them might have even gotten scholarships, if they were good enough.”

“... do you wish you could go back?”

Ryuji looked over at Akiko, who was staring at him intently. She was sitting up, legs hugged to her chest loosely. Huh...He’d never really thought about it...

“To the track team? Nah...” He sighed. “How could I after all that?”

But still...what a thought... to go back to the track team? Would it even be worth it? He missed them all like hell, but if they didn’t want him around, he didn’t want to make them even more mad at him.

“Arrgg, C’mon what’re you asking me tough questions like that for? Give me a break Akiaki, you know I’m not very smart!”

“Ryu-”

“Anyways! It doesn’t matter now! That’s all in the past.” He pulled himself to his feet, brushing the lingering bits of dirt off of his hands. “I’m only thinking about the future now!”

It was like his Mom always told him. ‘Yesterday was Yesterday, there’s nothing you can do about it, Tomorrow had infinity possibilities, and it was how you spent Today that shaped them!’

“So let’s both think Positive thoughts, Partner!” He cried, raising a hand for a high five, which he got from a slightly reluctant Akiko, who smiled nonetheless.

They decided to run one more lap, practically crawling by the end of it, before they split up to use the locker rooms, showering off before parting ways for the evening.

When Akiko walked out of the bathroom with her hair still wet from the shower, he wasn’t sure it was really her for a minute there! Where did the volume do!? It looked quite a bit longer now, which was kinda of an amazing feat given it was already pretty long. 

He knew from experience though that girls didn’t like it when you commented on their hair being different, so he kept his mouth shut about it. The two said their goodbyes at the school gates, Akiko intent on heading home, and Ryuji wanting to go get some Ramen from the shop down the way before it closed for the night.

The ramen had been amazing. Delicious and filling, so much so that Ryuji almost regretted ordering the gyoza. Almost. 

Checking his phone, he noticed that he’d been there for at least an hour and he hadn’t heard anything from Akiko! He knew that they’d just seen each other, but what if she got lost on the subway system? What if she fell asleep on her train and missed her stop? His legs were killing him and he was kind of used to this stuff! He hadn’t even thought about what it would be like for someone who wasn’t used to running! What if she’d fallen down in an alley again and get her leggings dirty? 

He pulled up her contact and hit call before he second guessed himself.

“Moshi moshi?”

“Yoo! ‘Sup! You get home good? Didn’t trip or anything?”

“....I’m fine. I’m outside LeBlanc now.”

“LeBlanc?”

“Mhmmm... It’s Sakura-san’s Cafe. The one I live in.”

LeBlanc. LeBlanc. He did his best to store that information away for future reference. He’d honestly forgotten to look into this ‘Sakura-san’s’ cafe, so for Akiko to just willingly tell him the name was a huge clue he hadn’t even had to go researching for! Awesome!

“Good to hear! Man, my legs are killing me! I don’t know if I’ll be able to drag them up the station steps on my way home after this. Uuugh this never woulda’ happened to me before. I should’ve kept up my running.”

“...How’s your leg?” Akiko asked softly and Ryuji flushed hotly once again. Girl! Girl concerned for him! It was a weird feeling that left his insides squirming.

“F-Fine!” He didn’t squeak. There was no way he squeaked, that wouldn’t be cool. “Totally fine!” He cleared his throat before sighing a little.

“I mean...it’s fine enough to the point where I can at least run on it again, you know?”

Akiko was silent on the other end, but Ryuji could hear some background noise so they was still there.

“Anyway, I’m glad we ran today. I’ve been avoiding it for a while because it brings up a lot of bad memories, but I actually had a lot of fun today, and we got to talk, so... yeah... Thanks dude!”

“...I had fun too.”

Ryuji smiled a little, before glancing over at the clock on the wall, noticing the time “Anyway- I gotta head home. See ya!”

“...bye...”

He quickly hung up, paid, and stumbled out of the ramen shop, towards the station. 

Ryuji was a lot sore-er than he wanted to admit but, at least he felt good about today.

\--------------------------------------------------------

The girl’s hair was damp when she got back. Had she used the bathhouse across the street? He raised a brow at her, but didn’t say anything of it.

“I got another call from your school today.”

Akiko froze in place, giving him the big guilty ‘I’ve been caught’ eyes that Fubtaba sometimes gives him when he catches her out of her room.

Sojiro raised a brow before hesitantly continuing. “Despite your...bumpy start on day one, your homeroom teacher has been very impressed with your marks so far.”

Genuine shock and confusion took over the teenagers face and Sojiro sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Geez, what did she think he was talking about? Highly suspicious...

“Well, just ‘cause you seem to be taking school seriously, doesn’t mean I’m not going to be keeping an eye on you. Got it?”

She nodded silently, finally closing her mouth. Sojiro would never understand teenagers...

“Keep it up the studying and we’ll see how your grades are fairing come exam time.” He grumbled. “Good marks are nothing if you can't test well, that’s all college’s care about after all.”

The girl nodded again and Sojiro shook his head, turning back to the newspaper in front of him. Free from the conversation, the teenager quickly hustled up stairs, vanishing around the corner.

Eventually, that one customer who talked way too much and used way too many flowery words for Sojiro’s taste finally left after paying.

As Sojiro went about his closing routine, he noticed that the cleaning solution for the floor was a little lower than when he’d last used it. And come to think of it, had that corner of the bathroom always been that clean? A quick glance around the shop revealed a lot of little cleaner details that Sojiro hadn’t necessarily noticed over the day.

The floor practically sparkled, even under the metal stand of the bar and under the booths! The shelves that held the coffee bean jars were dusted, not a jar missed. The stained glass lamp covers had been wiped down too, their colours brighter than they’d been for a while. Even the leaves of the plants had been dusted, the small cobweb gone from the bottom of the big plant by the door.

“Hey Kid?” He called up to the attic, and there was a muffled thudding of feet on stairs before Akiko slowly peeked around the corner.

“Have you been cleaning the store after I go home?” He asked outright, holding up the cleaning bottle that sparked his curiosity to begin with.

“uh-...I--I mean, I’m sorry...d-did I do it wrong?”

“W-Wrong!?” 

Sojiro could have laughed, had the girl not looked so panicked at his tone raising. He cleared his throat and took a moment to compose himself, adjusting his glasses.

“No. No you haven't been doing it wrong. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Akiko didn’t look so convinced, her head kept down, like she was expecting him to yell at her some more.

“The place looks great Kid.” He admitted. “It hasn’t sparkled like this in years, so I guess it just needed a sparkly kids touch huh?”

Akiko gave a surprised small giggle at the joke. It was bad. It was a terrible joke. A total Dad-pun and Futaba wouldn’t let him live it down if she ever heard it. Good thing she never would.

“Just...don’t work yourself too hard cleaning up this place. You should be worrying about studying.”

The girl opened her mouth like she was going to say something to that, but quickly changed her mind, and nodded mutely instead.

“Still...Thanks a lot Kid, I really appreciate it.” Sojiro offered a smile, and was granted one in return, even if it was a hesitant one.

“Well...I’m going home for the night. Don’t bother cleaning tonight, the store looks great. I’ll do it myself during the down time tomorrow.”

“I....if you’re sure Sakura-san.”

“What did I tell you about calling me Boss?”

“S-Sorry...Boss...”

“Get some sleep Kid.”

“...’Night Boss...”

“‘Night Kid.”

\------------------------------------------------

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon for Makoto.

She sat in the school library, getting her homework done for the day before she got a headstart on some student council work that needed to be done, mostly pre-organizing the groups for the upcoming school clean up. They would be going to Inokashira park, and she had to organize who’d be on which teams, and help budget something for the cooking club to come up with something for them all to eat afterwards.

She was pulled out of the swirling sea of numbers and recipes for large simple meals that were all starting to blend together so hard her eyes were beginning to hurt by the student librarian's voice behind her.

“ -Wait, are you the new transfer student in all the rumors?!” 

It seems that Makoto wasn’t the only one who was distracted by that, almost every single head in the small library turned, and the black haired girl at the front counter just nodded, refusing to say anything under the scrutiny of so many eyes.

Makoto didn’t blame her. A reputation like hers? It was best of her to keep her head down.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be rude, but...maybe you shouldn’t come here.” Makoto sat up a little straighter in her chair, the icy tone in her fellow third years voice was enough to make her uncomfortable and it wasn’t directed at her.

“This is a library you know? It’s for students to study and try and improve their futures.” Satoma-san, if Makoto remembered correctly, sneered. “From what I hear, a girl like you has no future.”

Makoto watched, waiting for the girl with the criminal record to react, waiting for the same violent reaction that led to her assault charge. She’d seen the younger girl’s file. As student council president she was warned of the new girl, of her record, and was asked to keep an eye on her.

Would she try and slap the librarian? Throw a punch? Makoto was already rising to her feet, ready to react, her heart thudding in her chest, adrenaline seeping into her veins.

Instead of reacting in any of the ways Makoto was expecting, the girl just lowered her head, and turned to the right, sliding open the doors and leaving. She was so stunned that it took Makoto a moment to process.

Once she realized what just happened, Makoto’s feet started to follow after, her belongings on the library table momentarily forgotten about.

Out in the hall, glancing left and right, it took Makoto a minute to spot the other girl, the wisps of inky black hair vanishing around the corner of the stairs going down.

“H-Hey!” She called out, racing after her.

The transfer student didn’t acknowledge her, just continued on her walk towards the front entrance.

“H-Hey wait up!” Makoto’s uniform heels clicked against the tile as she walked with purpose.

Kurusu-san, if Makoto recalled right, turned to face her, the younger girls face cold and impassive.

“Kurusu-san, right?” She knew that she was right, Makoto had studied her file and seen her student ID picture. There was no mistaking this girl for anything but the new transfer student.

A nod, no verbal reply.

“I...” Makoto cleared her throat. “My name is Niijima Makoto. I’m the student council president.”

Kurusu didn’t reply, just continued to watch Makoto with her cool grey eyes.

“I saw what just happened, in the library-”

“...am I in trouble for trying to use the Library, Niijima-Senpai?”

“N-no! No, nothing like that!” Makoto tried to laugh it off, but whoa that tone! She knew that some of her classmates liked to tease her, that she was a robot, but obviously none of them had ever spoken with Kurusu-san!

The other girl spoke in such a bored, dull tone that Makoto was so taken aback she wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“I just wanted to say that..” Say what Makoto, you ran out without a plan! Ugh this is just what your Aikido instructor is getting mad at you for, stupid!

“...that wasn’t very fair of Satoma-san back there. She’s not the one who gets to decide who uses the library. If you want, we can go back together and I can talk with her for you.”

It was the truth.

It wasn’t fair or Satoma-san. It was true she had a point; people would probably gossip if they saw her in the library, but that didn’t give her to talk to her fellow student the way she had, or make the sort of implications she had.

“...don’t bother Niijima-Senpai.” Kurusu-san, finally replied, after a long couple seconds of reading Makoto’s face, shaking her head. “It’s not worth it.”

Makoto did think it was worth it, but if the other girl was going to reject her offer, then so be it. Besides, Makoto had remembered another thing she should probably bring up with her fellow student.

“You know, Principal Kobiyakawa told me about you.”

Kurusu’s face changed, in a way that Makoto wasn’t really sure she could describe. It went from impassive to hard? Her jaw tightened and her lips thinned. Grey eyes turned hard.

“You don’t seem like the troublemaker I was warned to keep my eyes out for.” Makoto mused allowed, taking in the other girl before her. 

“Yo!” A boy’s voice cut through their conversation, a bleached blonde head popping up from around the corner.

“Akiko! There you are! I was lookin’ for you!” Sakamoto-san's joyful disposition completely dropped when he saw who his apparent new friend was talking to. The two of them had never gotten along, and it showed on both their faces.

“I’ll uh- catch you outside.” He mumbled, before darting away.

“As I was saying,” Makoto sighed, “You may not seem like a troublemaker, but that doesn’t mean I still won't keep my eyes open, especially if that’s the sort of company you keep.”

And on that note, Makoto turned on her heel and headed back to the library.

She had a clean up day to organize, and she wasn’t going to disappoint! 

\-----------------------------------------------

Life with the girl named Kurusu Akiko was interesting. Nothing like Morgana thought that human life would be like.

Every night, after the man named ‘Boss’ would leave, She’d spent a solid chunk of time cleaning the store for him, even after he’d told her the other night that she didn’t need to, she still mopped and tidied the store for at least an hour before devoting at least another two to three hours studying and doing homework.

He admired her determination, though he wished she’d get more sleep.

Every morning, she was already up by the time Morgana was awake, usually working on more homework, or reading a book at the bar style seating of the cafe, where she would wait until Boss got in for the day, she’d eat the curry he’d give her, Morgana would eat the plain sushi that Akiko would buy for him on the way to school. He refused to eat cat food, for he was not a cat!

She’d go to school, where nobody but that Monkey Ryuji tried to talk to her. The Lovely Lady Ann would also occasionally talk to them but she was so worried about her friend Suzui, that she mostly kept to herself. Morgana didn’t blame her.

Akiko was often called on by teachers, looking for her to stumble and fail, but Morgana was surprised! She knew the answer to every answer, he didn’t even have to try and help her! He got to spend the majority of each school day sleeping in her desk, cramped as it was.

At lunch, Akiko would buy two of whatever it was she was eating, and give him the second, and the two of them would eat lunch alone at their desk. Lady Ann would sometimes turn around and join them, but more often than not, the blonde girl would sneak just off of school grounds to make calls to Shiho’s parents and check on her condition. 

Lady Ann was so kind~ She cared so deeply for her friends. It’s just one of the many traits that made her so amazing. Once he had his human body back, he couldn’t wait to be able to take her on the kind of date she deserved!

Morgana’s train of thought was broken by the sound of a bell and the smell of coffee and curry. They were back home at LeBlanc already? He must have fallen asleep on the train for a bit there.

“Hey, do you have a second?” Boss asked, and Morgana could feel Akiko stop suddenly, his bodyweight nestled against her sider. “Something I wanna ask you. C’mere, let's have a chat.” 

Morgana couldn’t see Akiko’s face, nor read her mind, but he knew that he had a thousand and one questions and worries running through his mind! Had the school called again? Was it about Akiko hanging out with Ryuji? Was it about the library incident? Had Kamoshida called and let Sojiro know what he was planning?

Akiko must have made a non verbal agreement with Boss because the man continued.

“Good, there’s a lot of things I want to ask you, just give me a minute to clean up. Here, sit down, eat some curry.”

Morgana could feel the bag that was in move, being set very carefully onto something squishy. One of the booth seats perhaps? A weight settled next to him, Akiko sitting beside him.

The clatter of a plate on table, followed by a small ‘Idatakimasu’ before the clink of silverware against china, accompanied by the news caster chattering away in the background, and the sounds of Boss washing some dishes in the sink.

“So, uh.... How’s school?” Boss asked, breaking the silence. “You’re not causing any trouble are you?”

“...no sir.” Akiko replied.

“Good.” The way Boss said that, it wasn’t mocking or anything, like he was genuinely happy to hear that Akiko was trying to do well.

His voice took on a much harder tone as he continued though. “I’ve got to report to your probation officer twice a month. It’s already a pain in the ass as it is, so please don’t make me have to write even more crap. This society is kept in check by rules and authority figures. You can go ahead and get yourself killed if you want, but don’t go dragging other people into your mess. Last thing we need is more idiots like you in the world.”

“...I’m sorry sir, I’ll do my best to behave sir.”

“Enough with the sir crap!” Sojiro snapped, something splashing, and thunking into the sink. “I told you to call me Boss!”

“S-Sorry Boss!”

“Uuuugh what a headache.” There was a long sigh but before Sojiro could talk anymore- his phone started to ring.

It was muffled, but Morgana could hear a girl's voice on the other end, sounding a little upset.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Sorijo asked, his tone becoming considerably softer than it was a moment ago.

The girl on the other end, it was too far and Morgana was still trapped in this stuffy bag, he really couldn’t get much from her voice other than it was pretty high pitched.

“Yeah, I’m heading out now, Sorry to worry you.”

The girl said a few more things, causing Sorijo to laugh a little.

“Yeah, I know, the usual, right?....Okay, I’ll see you later.”

Sojiro hung up the phone, before once again turning his attention to the girl in the booth, who’d finished eating her curry by now.

“As you can see, I’m pretty damn busy, both with work and my personal life. So... Thank you. For all the hard work you’ve done cleaning the store. I know I told you not to the other night, but it really had been a great help...”

“...it’s the least I can do...”

“I don’t know about that, this place hasn’t been this clean in years, kid. I mean it. And I don't intend to have you working for free. If you agree to help out around the store, I’ll.... teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. How ‘bout that. Not a bad trade ‘eh?”

Morgana thought it was a horrible trade! One skill, how to make good Coffee, for possibly hours of manual labour? Only a moron would take that kind of a deal!

“...sounds interesting.” 

If it weren't for the bag holding him back, Morgana would be yelling at the girl! Wasn’t she just saying the other day that she needed to get a part time job? Why not demand he pay her?! He couldn’t believe her!

“All right. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a deal. I’ll be counting on your help.”

Well...if they were both happy with it...

Akiko let Morgana free from the bag once they were back in their room, and she quickly changed into more comfortable clothing to go downstairs and help Sojiro do the dishes and clean up until he left.

Once Boss left, and it was just the two of them, despite the fact it was getting late and Morgana just wanted to rest his eyes, Akiko had the light above the working desk on, and she showed no sign in stopping as she studied. Did she really have that much homework? He was sure she’d finished her assigned work at least an hour ago.

Glancing once against the clock, Morgana yawned. “Hey...it’s getting late. You should get some sleep.”

“... in a bit.” She mumbled, and Morgana rolled his eyes, jumping up onto the desk to see what she was doing. It looked like a test?

“What are you doing? This doesn’t look like the homework you were assigned.” 

“....’s not.” She took a while to reply, clearly distracted as her pencil flew across the page, working through a math formula that Morgana wasn’t familiar with at all. “It’s a copy of an exam I did in math last year.”

“Ooooh I see....Why last year's exam? Isn’t that old material?” 

“Hmm...” She hummed in agreement, writing down the answer in the designated spot. “That’s why I wanted to go to the library today. I wanted to find an old copy of last year's exam for my year. They usually have copies of those for studying.”

“I see... that’s a shame then, that that girl in the library was so mean.”

“Hmmm.”

Morgana let the girl go back to her studying, jumping off the desk and making his way back over to the bed. He curled up in the middle, and let himself drift off, he’d just fall back to sleep once she came to bed.

\-----------

When Morgana awoke next, it was because the sun was filtering in through the window and the chirping of birds was becoming too loud to ignore.

Akiko was already dressed in her uniform and was downstairs cleaning the store, Boss not quite in yet.

“I want fiiiiissshh!” He whined, jumping up onto the bench of the booth closest to the stairs, ready to run once Boss showed up.

“...I’ll buy you something once we leave for the train.” There was a hesitancy in her reply, and Morgana remembered just how empty her wallet had looked yesterday when she’d bought his breakfast.

“You know, you can probably sell the majority of the little trinkets you find in palaces. All those little bits of shiny things you found around the castle? If you found the right buyer you could make a little bit of money from them.” Morgana suggested.

Akiko nodded slightly, but returned to cleaning.

Morgana yawned and stretched, wanting to get his fill of walking around until he had to go back into the bag again.

Soon enough, Sojiro unlocked the front door, offered Akiko a plate of left over Curry from the night before, which she ate quickly, and then the two were off to school.

They just had to survive today, tomorrow, and then Saturday was the day.

They’d send the calling card in the morning, and after school, they’d steal the Treasure.

He hoped they would all be ready for it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------


	8. Chapter 8: Ann

Chapter 8: Ann.

\---------------------------

“Attention Kamoshida Suguru, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires onto students who can't fight back. It is because of this that we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. Prepare your twisted heart, we’re coming for you. From, the Phantom Thieves of Heart.”

Ann knew she shouldn’t have left designing the card to Ryuji of all people! Even Morgana surely had more artistic talent in one paw than that boy had in his whole body! 

Ugh, if they got caught because he had no idea how to be subtle, she was never going to let him live it down. At least he was smart enough not to hand write it. She would give him that at least. 

Rolling her eyes, Ann spotted a familiar head of bleached hair, standing next to a mass of messy black hair. There was the dynamic duo.

Ryuji was grinning ear to ear, and his joy didn’t stop when he saw her. “Hey! You see ‘em? Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference.”

“Uuuhh... yeah...” Ann trailed off, not really sure she wanted to be the one to break it to him. Screw it, if no one else would, she would. “I know what you wanted to say but... it sounds like an idiot trying to sound cool.”

Morgana shoved his head out of Akiko’s backpack, wanting to join in on the criticisms of Ryuji.

“Your logo’s lacking too.” 

“O-Okay! Y’know what? Th-That ain't true!” Ryuji protested, defending his calling card. He sounded so upset that Ann almost felt bad for bringing it up. He probably did work pretty hard on it, and to give him some credit, he’d done a really good job posting them around the school, literally everyone around them were talking about them.

“Did Kamoshida-sensei do something wrong?”

“Does this mean the rumors are true?!”

“Wait, does this mean- is someone threatening to steal from Kamoshida-sensei?”

“What’s with the weird logo? Who are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? Is this an anime I haven't seen yet?”

Ann sighed. “Well, everyones talking about it, so I guess it’s a good thing.”

Ryuji was about to say something before his mouth dropped and he pointed behind Ann. She turned around and gasped. Kamoshida-sensei was looking at the wall of calling cards!

“Who’s responsible for this!?” He shouted, looking around for any guilty faces.

Morgana practically purred from his hiding spot inside Akiko’s bag. “A predictable reaction from someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires.” He chuckled.

Ryuji smirked, rubbing at his nose a little. “Looks like it’s hitting him pretty hard.”

Ann had to give it to Ryuji, She’d never seen Kamoshida-sensei look so upset before. His normal composure was gone as he started to rip the little red squares off the board, before anymore students saw them.

“Did you do this?!” He shouted at a student who dared approach too close. “Or was it you!?” 

The crowd of students quickly dispersed, eager to get away from their teachers' accusations. As Kamoshida watched the children run away, his gaze was drawn to the group of three who didn’t run, the ones watching him from further down the hall.

His eyes burned like fire as he approached, stalking them down, his shoulders squared angrily.

“...I bet it was you two.” His eyes slid over Ann like she was invisible. Ever since Shiho...Kamoshida had been treating Ann like she didn’t exist, which she wasn’t going to complain about. It was better than be apart of his ire.

“...What are you talking about?” Akiko asked, frowning slightly at her gym teacher. Ann was seriously impressed! Talk about keeping a cool head under pressure! Her classmate spoke with such a bored, uninterested tone, it gave off the impression that she really did have no idea what Kamoshida was talking about. If only they weren’t standing in the same hall as the wall of calling cards...

“So you’re playing dumb?” Kamoshida snarled, before spitting at the teenagers feet in a rage. “No problem. Lest you forgot, you’ll be expelled soon enough anyway.”

His mouth didn’t move, but Ann was sure she could hear him laugh. “You want my Treasure? Just you try and steal it, you little punks.”

And like that, Kamoshida turned and stalked off, leaving the teens to stew.

“Seems like we certainly had an effect on his Palace.”

“Does that mean the Treasure’s appeared? We can get it today right?”

“Not just today... It’s only today.” Morgana warned firmly. “The impact of seeing the calling card won’t last for too long, and it can’t be repeated. This is our one shot to steal the Treasure!”

“Hey we got that far in one day! We can totally steal a Treasure in another one! After school, let's meet on the roof.” Ryuji proposed. “We’re gonna take that bastard down today!”

If Ann thought getting through class on monday had been hard, today was impossible. Both her legs wouldn’t stop jiggling and when the Chuno-sensei called on her in class, she was so distracted that Akiko practically spoon fed her the answer over her shoulder. She’d have to remember to thank her later.

By the time class let out for the day, Ann was practically jumping out of her seat, dragging Akiko along behind her.

She was ready to kick some ass and steal some Treasure!

\-------

Slipping into the Metaverse was getting smoother and smoother, the effect becoming closer to second nature to Ann the more they did it.

“Our only objective today is stealing the Treasure!” Morgana cheered, leading the way towards the second entry point they’d made.

Scaling the rickety wooden scaffolding that lead up a tall stone rampart that they would be able to use as a stepping stone to leap across a gap, the group of teenagers and one cat monster slipped their way into a castle by climbing the outside of the stone brick exterior and creeping in through an open window.

It took them a little longer than Ann would have liked to climb the tower back to the Throne room, but security was on high alert and Akiko seemed adamant on avoiding as many fights as necessary. Ann couldn’t blame the other girl. There were way more guards than last time, and to start one fight would just draw the attention of more.

By the time they finally reached the top of the tower, the sight of the large doors that had been locked shut last time, swung wide open, was enough to give them pause.

“ -the hell?” Ryuji asked, walking forward slowly. “The door’s just sitting open and there aren’t any soldiers around...”

Ann had to agree, it seemed too good to be true.

Morgana, however, didn’t seem to mind, rushing forward, running in a straight line down the red carpet down the center of the room. “This place is probably undermanned now that they’re all assigned somewhere else.” He explained over his shoulder as he jogged into the room without a care. “Either way, we win as long as we can steal the Treasure! Let’s keep going!”

The answer was good enough of Ryuji, who shrugged and ran after the cat.

Well don’t leave her behind! Ann took off after the other blonde, hearing the clicks of Akiko’s heels following behind her.

“Awww yeah!” She could hear Morgana cry from the room head, and Ann picked up the pace a little, rushing through the doors that their feline companion had tossed open in his haste. “The Treasure has appeared!”

It was easy to see what Mona was talking about. In the center of the room, floating in the middle of the air where that mass of sparkly air was before, was a massive crown, the whole thing was most likely taller than she was!

“Man, It’s huge!” Ryuji exclaimed, wandering around towards the back of it, taking in it’s full size and scope. 

“What do you think!?’ Morgana cried excitedly, jumping up and down in his exuberance. “It’s just like I said! Now we can steal it! Aw maaann, it’s so shiny, it’s bringing tears to my eyes!”

Ann could see what he meant. It was really sparkly, every inch of the thing was glittering gold, the large heart shaped rubies inladed around the base, dozens of smaller, just as reflective bits of rock sticking out to catch the light.

“...It kinda pisss me off.” Ann admitted, frowning at the damn thing. “Why is it so pretty? Isn’t this Kamoshida’s desires?” 

Nothing about that bastard had any right to be so pretty. The more she looked at the thing, the more details and craftsmanship she noticed in the overly extravagant headpiece, the more she had to remind herself that this was born of Kamoshida’s disgusting heart and twisted desires.

“T-Treasure~” Morgana practically moaned, unable to take his large blue eyes off the crown, like it was the last piece of sushi on the plate.

“Uh, the cats acting awfully excited...”

“Mona, what’s wrong? Are you -”

“Meeeeooooooww!” Morgana meowled, leaping from the floor and onto the crown inself, knocking it out of the air. Even that didn’t seem to faze Mona, who purred happily, rolling around in the pile of gold that he and the crown had landed in. “Mrrroooww!”

“ Uh Mona-chan?” Ann tried, taking a step forward. “That’s not catnip...”

“Meow, meow! Meewwwww!”

Ryuji shook his head, stepping forward. “That’s enough, you stupid cat!”

That seemed to break though whatever Treasure induced madness that had taken over their metaverse guide temporarily. “Oh! Uh...Yes. Uumm. Please forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady....” He mumbled, refusing to look towards Ann.

“That was totally out of character for you, Mona. What was that about?” Morgana hated to be compared to a cat! Why would he just up and act like one for no reason?

Morgana’s ears were pressed flat to his head, his whole body slouching. “I...I couldn’t stop it. To think I’d be drawn to human desires this much... wait! Doesn’t that prove I’m human!?”

He’d never really sounded more like a cat than when he had been rubbing himself all over the crown in Ann’s opinion, but she kept that to herself for the time being.

“How should we know!?” Ryuji cried, shaking his head.

Mona seemed to deflate a little once he realized no one else really seemed to have the same enthusiasm for his possible revelation as he did. “A-Anyways... You three will need to carry it out of here.” He gestured towards the crown with a gesture of his paw.

“Geez, all you do is bark orders...” Ryuji grumbled, moving forward to grab at the massive crown, testing its weight.

“You know, this is way easier than I thought it would be.” Ann had to say, joining him in moving the stupidly oversized thing. It was even heavier than it looked!

“Right!? I was just gonna say! I thought for sure there’d be some kinda insane trap or something!” Ryuji agreed with her, as Akiko moved forward to help out, the three of them able to split the weight of it fairly decently.

“Well don't jinx us!” Ann snapped at him. Honestly! Boys!

“Once we take this, Kamoshida’s Palace will disappear, right Mona?” Akiko asked, cutting off the argument before it could get started.

“That should be the case. And with it, Kamoshida’s distorted desires will vanish too, leaving him a changed man.” Morgana said, leading the way for them as they shuffled out of the gaudy treasury. Not a minute too soon, in Ann’s opinion. All the glittery gold on the floor was starting to blur together into a sea of yellow and orange.

“That’s what we came here to do, so let’s get a move on already!” Ryuji whined from Ann’s left, Akiko on her right. “This stupid thing is heavy!”

“To think it’d all go so well...” Morgana mused aloud to himself, as they left the gold behind, moving slower than Ann would have liked towards the Throne Room. “I even found three Persona-Users in the process...”

The cat-like monster-creature, Ann would have to ask for clarification at some point, turned to look at Joker specifically.

“My judgment was correct.” He smiled, his little fangs shining in the low light, large blue eyes glinting mischievously. “I made the right choice in making a deal with you!”

With a joyous laugh, that sounded pretty cat-like to Ann, Morgana ran a head, pushing open the door to the Throne room, holding it open for them as they shuffled out.

It had taken some coordination on all of their parts, and some direction from Mona, but eventually they made it down the long staircase behind the red velvet throne.

They’d almost reached the room when a girls voice rung out through the hall, echoing off the walls “Go, go! Let’s go! Ka-mo-shida!”

A Cheerleader?!

Before Ann could really process what was happening, the crown was knocked violently out of their hands, rolling out further back into the hall, rolling towards the throne.

It was the Other Kamoshida! He landed in front of the throne and extended a hand like some kind of super villain. The crown, which had slowed to a stop, began to glow red, and wobble on its own, before it rose, flying towards its owner, shrinking down to a reasonable size.

From the sidelines a blonde girl in a bikini, that same one from the cell! She threw herself around Kamoshida’s neck, praising him for his shot as she jumped up and down against his side obnoxiously. 

Kamoshida ignored her, glaring down at the Thieves in his Throne room.

“I won’t let anyone take this!” He snarled, clutching the crown tightly in one hand. “This proves that I am the king of this castle! It is the core of this world!”

The girl stopped her jumping and slunk behind Kamoshida, peering out over his shoulder as she drew little patterns on his chest with a pink painted nail.

Wait a second. This was Kamoshida’s cognitive world right? So, that wasn’t some actress that he’d hired and dressed up like her.... that-!

“That rat bastard...” Ann cussed, feeling nauseated by the revelation. “That’s how he sees me! Isn’t it!?”

“YO! You old pervert!” Ryuji taunted, taking a threatening step forward. “ ‘You waiting to ambush us?”

Kamoshida sneered down his nose at the accusation. “I just made it easy to find you.” He defended, before smirking smuggly. “I’ll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now.”

“That’s our line, you goddamn rapist!” Ryuji shouted, pointing a yellow gloved finger at the king, who just laughed off the accusation with a shake of his head.

“What a selfish misunderstanding~” He cooed, talking down to them like they were stupid. Ann could feel her blood boiling.

“Misunderstanding?! You were doing- just the most disgusting things! In secret!” 

“The people around me were the ones who kept it a secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners, they all willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it!”

“Profit!?” Ryuji gasped, just as disgusting as Ann was. How many people knew? The Principal? How many teachers? All of them? What about the student council? 

“It’s imbeciles like you who don’t understand that! Naive brats like that girl who tried to kill herself!”

“It’s true... Shiho was a total idiot.” Ann clenched her fists. There was no reason for her to do what she had...Ann was right there! She’d always been there for Shiho, she would have dropped anything if she asked for it. If only she’d just talked to her...there was always another option, and now Shiho may never wake up to see that...

“Letting you manipulate her.... Trying to commit suicide....”

Ann loved Shiho so much it hurt. 

Her heart was breaking at the thought of never being able to tell her friend that she was a fool for keeping everything to herself. She wanted to hold her, hug her close, and have Shiho tell her everything so they could cry about it together. And then Ann would tell her that She’d always love Shiho regardless of what she’d been through, that she was beautiful and strong, and Ann would love her for forever if Shiho would let her...

Shiho had been hurting for so long! How long had she been keeping the abuse from Ann? How long had Kamoshida been using the smaller girl as a substitute for Ann’s attention? How long had Ann not put together that maybe Volleyball practice should be that physically demanding on her love? How long had Ann let Shiho tell her that everything was okay when it clearly hadn’t been?

“And I’m an even bigger idiot for not having seen that!” She cried, the tears prickling behind her eyes. “But even still....no matter what kind of fool someone might be...” 

Kamoshida was staring down at her like he was bored with her and it just infuriated her.

“They don’t need your permission to live their lives, asshole!”

“Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant!” He snapped, “There is nothing wrong in using my gifts for my gain! I’m a cut above all other humans!”

“Above!?” Ann spat at him. “You mean beneath. You’re a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!”

Kamoshida began to laugh, the floor around him changing. His shadow grew larger and larger, swirling into a disgusting pool of black and red goo. It crawled up his legs and slowly consumed his form, growing larger and faster as it took over more of him.

“That’s right....I’m not like you...” His voice was changing. Distorting. Warping into something awful. He grabbed the cognitive version of himself by the waist, pulling her into his corruption. 

“I am a demon who rules this world!”

The shadows grew, and grew, tripling, quadrupling, in size, filling the room. Ann could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. This was bad! Just what was Kamoshida becoming?!

“W-What the hell?!”

The King's body was changing. Growing, warping, contorting.

What was left could hardly be described as human! 

The massive figure was so big it had to sit to fit in the Throne room! The crown was back to its original size and Kamoshida had the head to fit it now! Two massive looping goat horns held it place. His eyes bulged out of his head, peering down at them past his massive long grey tongue that whipped about the air, slobbering everywhere. He had four arms, each holding something different, a whip, a golden fork and knife set and a wine goblet with...her! In it! Floating about in the wine like some plastic doll! 

It was clear to see that he wasn't wearing any clothes other than that darn cape still, though thankfully Ann was spared the view of his nudity by a massive golden trophy cup, with a swarm of naked girl legs writhing out of the top!

“HAhahahaha!” It laughed, and Ann hated how Kamoshida’s voice was still almost recognizable, “I’m allowed to do whatever the hell I want!”

“Let’s finish this!” Akiko cried, calling forth Arsen, ready to fight. Ryuji called forth his own Persona, at her side in a flash. Ann removed her own mask, feeling the familiar rushing heat of Carmens flames at her side, ready to fight too.

They were ready to bring him down.

“You goddamn, no-good shitty brats!” The monster that was once Kamoshida cried, crackling his whip threateningly. “Haven’t you been taught to respect your elders?! Huh!?

“Look!” Morgana cried, pointing to the crown atop Kamoshida’s head. “The Treasure is right there! Let’s catch him off guard and steal it.” He proposed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“We’ll distract him Mona, You sneak off and find a way to get it off his fat head.” Joker ordered, already taking a defensive stance as Kamoshida cracked his whip again, the little slaves at his sides chained to massive golden volley balls grabbing smaller, but equally metal volley balls and taking aim at the intruders.

“Good plan Joker, leave it to me!” Mona nodded, slipping off behind the group as the three teenagers set about keeping Kamoshida’s attention. 

“Carmen! Let’s go!” Ann cried, calling forth the fire, sending a blast of it towards Kamoshida’s chest, aiming for center of mass if she could. He wobbled a little from the impact, but the fires left no visible difference to his skin!

“My turn!” Skull cried, stepping forward. “Blast him, Captain!” The air crackling with electricity, followed by a crack-thum of thunder. The hulking beast tensed a little, obviously shocked by the bolt of lighting, but he shook it off as quickly as it passed, swiping at Ryuji with his golden knife. The blonde boy just barely dodged it, jumping back just in time to avoid having his stomach slashed open.

“Arsen!” Joker cried, her voice firm and powerful, as she sent a spell of dark energy towards the King, trying to catch him as he was recovering from his attempted assault of her teammate. The blast to his side sent the beast wobbling over, spilling some of his wine on the floor.

“That hurt!” Kamoshida cried, raising his knife again. Instead of taking a stab at them, however, he stabbed into the cup! Bringing his fork into the equation, Ann was revoked to watch as he cut a woman in half, rendering her waist from her torso. The squirming legs, stabbed in place on the golden fork, were devoured feet first before their very eyes.

“Mmm mmm mm! That hits the spot~” He moaned like he’d just eaten a decadent cake, his tongue rolling around in the air, getting more thick slobber everywhere. “I can go all day, kids! Come at me you pieces of shit!”

“What the hell was that?!” Ryuji cried, and Ann was right there with him. What in the world had she just watched?!

“We need to destroy the trophy!” Joker cried, pulling her gun from her waist and taking aim at the massive cup. “He’s using it to heal himself!”

“You shits have no idea what this thing is worth! Don’t you dare touch it!”

Ann didn’t need to be twice, reaching for her own gun. She had to admit, Ann never thought she’d touch a gun, let alone handle one, but this one was kinda nice... made her feel like Bonnie and Clyde.

Skull wiped out his gun, a massive shotgun that had Ann rolling her eyes when she saw it. Of course he’d get the loudest gun. Of course he did.

The three of them unloaded into the trophy, most of their bullets ricocheting off, but they certainly did a decent bit of damage to it, Ryuji’s shots especially having put some sizable dents into the curve of it. 

“Slaves! Stop them!” Kamoshida cried, as the little pions on his sides aimed more metal volleyballs at them. Ann took one to her leg, knocking her off balance for a moment with a startled cry, but Akiko was by her side, pulling her out of the way of the next barrage before she could suffer any real damage. She could deal with a bruised thigh, but a busted head was a different story.

“Finish it, Captain!” With a well aimed zolt from Skull’s Persona, the cup crumpled, the legs spilling out onto the floor, melting back into shadows along with the remains of the trophy.

“NO!” Kamoshida screamed, slumping in horror as his precious trophy melted before his eyes. “No...no way... that was from when I won the Nationals...” he lamented.

Akiko took the opportunity to push forward, weapon drawn. Ann and Ryuji followed suit.

“You think you can get away with doing such a thing? To me?! Don’t you realize who I am!?” The King screeched at them. “I am KAMOSHIDA! Don’t you get it!?”

“So what?” Joker spat, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. It was the perfect way to get under his skin, and Ann loved it.

“HUH?!” Kamoshida turned his head to look solely at their leader, his large eyes locking in on her form. “I am Kamoshida! I am the King!”

“Y’know,” Ryuji piped up, “I always thought you were just some condescendin’ d-bag. But now I know you’re nothing but a pathetic loser!”

Ann couldn’t agree more!

“We came all this way to steal that crown, Kamoshida. Will you just give it up and hand it over already? It’s over!”

Kamoshida snarled at her word, glaring at Ann like she was the dirt on his shoe. “Silence! I won't let the likes of you touch this!”

“Then we’ll just have to take it for ourselves!” Joker cried, rushing an attack.

Ann and Ryuji followed up, going all out with everything they had, but it wasn’t enough, Kamoshida was still standing.

\---

“Any time now Mona...” Ann grumbled to herself, panting as she prepared to dodge another wave of volleyballs. The fight felt like it had been going on forever, and she was getting tired. She’d never done this much running in her life!

“SLAVES! Where’s my ball!?” Kamoshida yelled, cracking a whip.

From the shadows, a familiar form came running to Kamoshida’s side, holding what could only be described as a massive three foot wide cannon ball of pure metal.

“I-I’m so sorry, King Kamoshida! H-Here is your ball sir!” Stuttered Mishima, dressed in nothing but a burlap sack, a metal chain around his ankle and bruises covering almost every inch of visible skin.

“Too slow, Mishima!” Chided the Demon of a teacher, crackling his whip at the boy, who flinched and dropped to the floor. “Worthless chump!”

“M-Mishima!?” Ryuji cried, looking confused and Ann couldn’t blame him! What!?

“Why is he here?!” She asked, looking out to Akiko or Ryuji for answers. Had they noticed him follow them into the metaverse?! Why would he be helping Kamoshida!?

“It must be a cognition of him.” Akiko reasoned, trying to calm her teammates. “Like the other Ann.”

“Do not call that- that- Thing! me!” Ann snapped, shaking her head. Kamoshida’s idea of her was still in the wine, floating aimlessly like some life sized pool toy. That’s really all she was to him... a toy. Ann would reason that that’s all any girl ever was to him.

“Good Mishima- now pass it to me!” Kamoshida ordered, cracking his whip again, enjoying the way the smaller boy flinched at the noise. “Don’t tell me you can’t even do something as simple as that!” He mocked.

“H-Here it goes...” It took Mishima some effort, but he threw the metal ball in the air, and Kamoshida jumped up after it.

“Prepare yourselves!” Akiko cried, taking on a defensive stance, not willing to give up her ground.

The impact of the ball smashing into the ground at their feets shook the room, statues cracking and breaking, chandeliers falling and shattering into millions of tiny pieces. Ann ended up getting knocked off her feet, being blown several feet back by the impact.

Ryuji helped her to her feet, Akiko standing in front of them like a human shield while they recovered. Kamoshida just sighed, taking in the destruction before him.

“I knew it....I can’t go all-out with Mishima providing the backup.” He spat the name Mishima like it tasted foul in his mouth.

“Hey! Shit-for-brains!” He snapped at the boy in rags. “Get off my court!”

“I-I’m sorry, King Kamoshida! F-Forgive me, King Kamoshida!” As Mishima scrambled off the court Ann couldn’t help but be relieved that she wouldn’t have to see him anymore. To know that that’s how Kamoshida saw her classmate? It was disgusting.

“Next slave, get out here!” Another crack of the whip. “Hurry up with my damn ball!”

The click of heels against the tile caught Ann’s attention and her heart fell into her stomach.

“No!” She gasped, hands flying to her mouth in shock.

“King Kamoshida~ I’ve brought you your ball, just like you asked hehe~” Tittered the near perfect copy of Shiho.

Ann wanted to cry. Dressed in a white fuzzy bikini, with matching bunny ears and a tail, Shiho stood with her hip cocked to the side, holding another large volleyball under her arm as she smiled seductively up at the massive demon lord.

“Now there’s a good girl, Suzui.” The King laughed, readying himself to spike another cannonball towards the team. “Y’know, all women should just obey my orders like this- aint that right, sweetheart?”

Ann wanted to vomit. How dare he. How dare he?!

“YOU BASTARD!” She shrieked. “You have no right to even think about Shiho, let alone like this!”

“Panther, calm down.” Joker muttered, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He wants us mad.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right but... but this is...”

This was the love of her life, the one girl in the whole world that Ann wanted to spend the rest of her life with, to wake up next to every day...and this was what Kamoshida thought of her...

It was enough to make her want to cry.

“Damn it!” Ryuji cursed, “You’ve gone too far, you piece of shit!”

“Oh I get it!” Kamoshida laughed. “You wanna see my killshot again!”

Oh no! What should they do! Ann didn’t think they'd be able to handle another assault like the last one, but what could they do!?

“It...It’s just a cognition of Suzui-san... it’s not the real Suzui-san.”

“Huh?” Panther turned to Joker, hearing her leader mumble to herself.

Joker didn’t reply, instead rushing forward with her knife drawn.

“Forgive me!” Ann could hear Akiko cry before she sliced into the other girl.

“NOO!” Ann couldn’t stop herself from screaming as Shiho screamed and fell to her knees, the wound across her torso, turning into the black shadows before she fell forward, succumbing to her injury quickly.

“SHIHO!” Ann went to rush forward but Ryuji held her back, grabbing her around the waist.

“Panther, Panther! Ann! Calm down it wasn’t Shiho!” He tried to reason with her, as she struggled to get out of his grasp, but he was much stronger than she had ever given the other boy credit for.

“Hmmph! Even Suzui was useless.” Kamoshida grunted, “Looks like I’ll have to give her some special instructions later...one-on-one you know!” He laughed, throwing his head back.

“I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!” Ann screamed, calling forth Carmen, aiming her fire for his eyes this time. He’d never look at Shiho ever again if she had anything to say about it.

“I’m sorry Takamaki-san.” Joker said softly, now that she was closer to the team again. “I’m sorry, I had to do it.”

“I-It’s fine....I understand.” Ann did, but still, “I just...Shiho....”

“Suzui...” Ryuji mumbled. “We’ll beat that bastards ass for you!”

“Look.” Joker said, turning her head towards the upper left of Kamoshida and Ann saw what she was talking about. Mona was up on the balcony and ready to jump.

“Looks like Mona needs a distraction.” Akiko noted, pulling her gloves on a little tighter.

“If it's a distraction he needs...” Ryuji muttered, crackling his neck side to side.

“It’s a distraction he’ll get!” Ann concurred, ready to go all out. 

Time to make that Bastard pay!

Electricity, fire, and dark magic assaulted the King all at once, forcing him to raise his hands in defense of himself.

“Now Mona!” Joker cried, and on cue, a black streak flew through the air and landed on target.

The crown fell from the king's head, clunking to the floor and rolling away.

“Noo!” Kamoshida wailed, gasping at the air where his prized possession once sat in disbelief. “My- My Precious!”

“Now’s our chance! Take him down!” Ordered Akiko, Arsen at her back and ready.

After Kamoshida fell, his large body flopping uselessly against the floor, Ann took a moment to catch her breath.

The giant crown shrunk down to a reasonable size, catching their attention. 

Joker moved forward to finally grab the Treasure and leave, but Kamoshida wasn’t done yet!

He was back in his normal body, still in that ridiculous cape and thong. He snatched the crown up off the floor and tried to scamper for an exit, looking scared and terrified.

There was nowhere for him to go, nothing but a massive balcony behind him. They had him trapped.

“What’s wrong Kamoshida?” Ann asked coldly. “Why don’t you run? Aren’t you some great athlete?” She mocked.

“It’s always been like this...” Cursed the King, clutching his crown to his chest like a lifeline. “All those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I’m doing this all for them! What’s wrong with demanding a reward for that?!”

“Now you’re makin’ excuses?” Ryuji asked, his disgust evident in his tone. “We’ll do something about that distorted heart of yours, all right.”

Kamoshida shook his head, eyes wide in horror and he turned around, and looked out over the balcony. His knees trembled and his swallowed thickly, the whimper in his throat heard from where Ann stood.

“Are you scared?” She asked, taking a step forward. “Right now, you’re looking at the same view Shiho had. I’m sure she was scared too. Except, she felt that she had no choice but to jump.”

She took another step forward, clacking her heel against the floor.

“What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather you die here?” Carmen blazed to life behind her, the fire ready, she should feel it.

“Do you want to finish him off?” Morgana asked from behind Ann, sounding like he really didn’t care how it went. “It’s your call.”

The panic in Kamoshida’s eyes grew. Ann could see the sweat dripping off his brow.

“W-Wait, no please wait I beg you! Please forgive me!”

“SHUT UP!” Ann snapped, glaring at the pathetic excuse of a man before her. “I bet everyone of your victims begged you to stop too! But you.... You took everything from them!”

She sent a warning shot to the door frame next to his head, watching in joy as he cowered and lowered himself to his knees before her.

“I-I accept defeat.” He admitted, before rolling the crown forward. “Y-You want this? Take it.”

Akiko stepped forward to pick it up, silently staring down the blubbering excuse of a King.

“G-Go ahead and finish me off. Kill me. Destroy me, and my real self too. We deserve death... and you won the right to claim it for yourselves...”

Ann clenched her fists, the fury growing inside her, hotter and hotter as Kamoshida just so willingly accepted his death.

“Nngh!” She cried, throwing another fireball forward, needing to do something about the rage inside of her.

“ANN!” Ryuji cried, taking a step forward.

The blast missed Kamoshida, landing to the side of him, just as she had intended it to.

“If his mind shuts down... he can't admit his crimes.” She ground out the words, forcing them through a clenched jaw. 

“You’re so kind, Lady Ann...” Morgana said from behind her, but Ann didn’t think that was the case, not right now at least.

She wanted to kill him.

Ann wanted to let the flames eat him alive, dancing over his skin as he screamed and burned to a crisp before her.

Every single fiber of her heart was screaming at her that this was the man who had hurt Shiho. Had put her love through so much, that Shiho would rather be dead than suffer one more day of it. But death was too good for him. It would be over too fast.

“I’ve lost.” Kamoshida conceded, sinking lower and lower into himself. “You’re through....when you lose...What am I-... what am I supposed to do now?”

“Atone.” Was all that Akiko had to offer, and Ann had to admit, she wasn’t sure what else to say herself. That was what they wanted him to do, right?

“A-alright... I will leave now, and return to my real self...” Like a ghost, the other Kamoshida began to vanish before them. “I’ll make certain that I-” and in a flash of light, he was gone.

The moment he vanished however, the very foundations of the castle began to shake.

“Hey, we don't have time to waste you know!” Morgana said, already moving towards the door. “This place is about to collapse! Lets run!” 

“Oh shit! Let’s move it!” Ryuji cried, running on ahead of the group, the fastest of the team.

\--------

It was a miracle they made it out okay, especially after Ryuji’s leg gave out of him and he fell! Ann was certain that a hunk of ceiling was going to fall and crush them all, but somehow they made it out alive.

“That sucked!” She gasped, leaning against the cool concrete wall of the alley way just in front of the school.

“Yo! Look at the nav!” Ryuji cried, catching Ann’s attention. He had his phone out, and was staring at the MetaNav app that they used to get to the Castle in the first place.

Ann pulled out her phone to check her version of the app, and she could see Akiko do the same. 

All three had the same message.

“The destination has been deleted. Thank you.”

“So...we really can’t go back there anymore.” Ann mumbled.

“What about the Treasure!?” Morgana cried from their feet, pacing anxiously around Akiko’s feet.

Akiko reached into her pocket and pulled out, not a crown, but a gold metal on a ribbon? The kind that Athletes got?

“What the-?” Ryuji muttered, scratching at his head.

“A medal? But where did the crown go?” Ann asked.

“It means that that was the source of Kamoshida’s desires.” Morgana explained, sitting down now that he knew they hadn’t lost the treasure while running. “To Kamoshida, that medal is worth just as much as the crown we saw in the Palace.”

Ryuji held out a hand for it, and Akiko passed it over easily.

“An Olympic medal...” He turned it over a few times, taking in all the little details. “So, that perv was clingin’ to his past glory and couldn’t let it go...”

“But, does this mean that Kamoshida’s had a change of heart?” Ann asked, hoping that they at least did that right.

“Probably.” Morgana was licking at his paws and grooming behind his ears.

“Probably!?” Ryuji cried, gesturing to himself and Akiko, “Our expulsion’s on the line here!”

“This is the first successful attempt for me too, you know!” Morgana hissed, his fur standing on end before he composed himself. “However, there is no doubt in my mind that this will have quite an impact on Kamoshida’s personality. I mean, his whole Palace disappeared!”

“Uuuugh I feel all antsy! Ain’t there some way to check now?!” Ryuji whined, letting his head flop backwards as he whined to the sky.

“...we just have to wait and see..” Akiko mumbled, and Ann was forced to agree with her, as much as she understood Ryuji’s impatience.

“Right...”

“Come on! Why the gloomy faces?! Be happy! We completed this with great success, you know.” Morgana sighed, shaking his little fuzzy head.

“Yeah but...we still don’t know if everything’s okay yet...” Ryuji sighed.

“I’m pretty sure it will be fine. Remember how Kamoshida’s Shadow said that he’d be returning to himself in reality? He’s scum, no doubt about it, but he did seem to regain his conscience somewhat before he disappeared.” Morgana tried to be reassuring but Ann wasn’t convinced.

“If you say so.” Ann sighed, because it was really all they could take at the moment.

“There are definitely those who have been saved thanks to what all of you have done.”

“Yeah...” She agreed. The members of the volleyball team. Mishima. Other girls like Shiho... None of them would have to deal with Kamoshida’s abuse any longer, if everything went according to plan. That was the most important thing... that no one else would have to suffer like Shiho suffered.

“Anyways, I guess all we can do is wait.” Ryuji sighed, crossing his arms across his chest. “It all boils down to what’s gonna happen to Kamoshida... or if we’re gettin’ expelled for real...”

Akiko closed her eyes, bringing a hand up to her head to rub at her temples. Ann didn’t blame the girl for having a headache, she was in the same boat.

“Let’s go home...” She offered, ready to call it quits for the day and possibly fall asleep in the tub again. 

It was time for another really hot soak.

\--------

As she sunk into the hot water, Ann let out a hiss of air. It was uncomfortably warm against her skin, but her muscles were screaming in joy, turning to jello in the heat.

With her hair safely pulled up and out of the way, Ann reached over to grab at her phone, which she’d left in grabbing distance from the tub.

Pulling up the messenger app, she loaded her conversation with Akiko. They hadn’t messaged each other since the first day, all of their communication being kept solely to in person and at school. Ann could tell that Akiko was still hesitant to open up to her, talk with her or even really trust her, but Ann was starting to see that maybe Akiko was like that with everybody because when all three of them hung out, it wasn’t like Akiko was talking Ryuji’s ear off or anything. 

Maybe the other girl just wasn’t a talker.

Ann sighed and sunk a little lower into the water, letting the warm bath soothe her aching neck for a moment before she started typing out a message.

 **Ann:** Hey Aki-chan? Thanks for today.

 **Ann:** I finally got to avenge Shiho because of you guys.

 **Ann:** I’m pretty sure there’s no way that I’d have been able to do anything on my own.

 **Ann:** So seriously, thank you. I owe you so much.

Much like last time, there was a long moment of nothing before Akiko’s text box started to blip up, indicating she was typing.

 **Akiko:** You helped too.

S-She really thought so? Ann flushed a little, not from the heat of the water, and sunk lower into the tub. Ann wasn’t sure that she could really be proud of any of the work she’d done in the fight today... She’d completely frozen up when that fake Shiho came out, and almost attacked Akiko for destroying it... if anything she felt like a burden.

But Akiko thought she had helped...

 **Ann:** You really think so?

 **Ann:** I’m glad to hear it...

 **Ann:** So anyway, that cognitive world is pretty crazy, huh?

 **Ann:** What a mysterious place. I can’t believe that we actually stole someone’s heart...

Akiko didn’t seem to have a reply for several long moments of nothing, but Ann could see that her messages had been opened and that Akiko was ‘Online’ in the app. It was so hard to keep up a conversation with someone who didn’t seem to want to message back. But Ann was determined. Besides, She had just remembered something from the Palace and wanted to see if Akiko had too.

 **Ann:** Speaking of Mysterious, did you notice Morgana?

 **Ann:** Back when we were escaping from the Palace, didn’t he turn back into a cat, even though we were still in the Palace?

Another several long moments of her messages on read, and no sign of a reply. Ann was about to close out of the chat and message Ryuji, when the little box popped up on Akiko’s side of the chat again.

 **Akiko:** He said because he’s amazing.

Ann suddenly felt kind of silly for forgetting that the other girl literally carried Morgana everywhere she went, and that the cat was too nosey sometimes.

 **Ann:** Oh yeah, I forgot Morgana is reading these too.

 **Ann:** Hi Morgana! Thanks for all your help today!

She could see it now, the black and white cat leaning over the girls shoulder, reading the messages on her phone, probably making commentary of his own thoughts and opinions while Akiko just stood there and listened. No wonder it took her so long to reply sometimes!

 **Ann:** Anyway, thanks for talking to me! I feel a bit better now, thanks!

 **Ann:** I know we still haven’t seen any results yet, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

 **Ann:** I hope I haven’t been bothering you by talking so much!

Before she could get a reply back, she ended the conversation with Akiko quickly.

 **Ann:** Well, I’ll see you at school on Monday! Night Aki-chan!

Setting her phone aside, Ann went about enjoying her bath to its fullest, not leaving until the water was cold and her toes were little prunes.

\-------

When Ann woke up in the morning, it was to her phone buzzing on her bedside table. She didn’t even remember going to bed last night, she was so tired. The clock said it was quarter after nine and she sat up, unable to believe she’d slept in that late!

It was a sunday, so she didn’t have to go anywhere today, but she never slept in like that!

The buzzing that had dragged her from her extended slumber had been Ryuji.

She was not going to let him know that he’d somehow managed to get up earlier than she had!

 **Ryuji:** So, Kamoshida’s had a change of heart now, right?

 **Ryuji:** I don’t really care what happens to him...

 **Ryuji:** But it’d totally leave a bad taste in my mouth if he did wind up dead or something...

 **Ann:** Don’t talk like that!

 **Ann:** Besides, we didn’t kill his Shadow, so he should be fine, right?

 **Akiko:** I will admit, I’m anxious myself.

Well shit if Akiko was admitting that she was anxious, Ann wasn’t sure she had much confidence herself!

 **Ryuji:** Never thought I’d end up worrying about a bastard like him.

 **Ryuji:** Feels weird, ngl

 **Ryuji:** but like....nothing we can do about it today, we just gotta find out when tomorrow rolls around.

 **Ann:** Right.

 **Ryuji:** See you guys at school I guess.

 **Ann:** See you.

 **Akiko:** We’ll see you Monday.

Ryuji was right. There was nothing they could do but wait until tomorrow, and see how things played out.

With a heavy groan, Ann tossed her phone aside and flopped back into bed, stretching her limbs every which way. She could nap for a little while longer before she got up and out of bed. It wasn’t like she had any commitments today. Once she did get up and get dressed, she’d make her way to the hospital and sit with Shiho until visiting hours were over.

With that plan in mind, Ann set an alarm for noon. She refused to let herself sleep the whole day away, but if her body was telling her she needed to sleep more this morning, she’d listen to it for today.

\--------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One Palace down, several more to go at least.
> 
> I want to thank everyone whose commented, or left a kudos! The support has just been incredible and I can't thank you all enough.


	9. Chapter 9: Ryuji

Chapter 9: Ryuji.

\-------------

Sunday had been spent doing nothing but sitting around in his boxers and playing Playstorm games all day, but it had been as good a day as it could have been, Ryuji relented. At least it wasn’t monday!

Turns out that ‘effin bastard Kamoshida had turned invisible today! Ryuji looked around everywhere, but just couldn’t find him!

As soon as Ryuji was shoved into class and confined to a desk, he got so anxious he just couldn’t sit still. His leg bounced and jiggled so much that Ushimaru-sensei threw the chalk at him for being so distracting. But how could he concentrate when his future was riding on Kamoshida being changed, and that rat bastard was nowhere to be seen!?

At lunch he caught Akiko in the halls as she was walking back to her classroom, two yakisoba in her hands.

“Yo! Akiaki!”

The girl stopped, turning around to face him, smiling softly. “Hey Ryuji...”

“You seen Kamoshida today?”

She shook her head no. Damn...so the bastard really had called in...

“You think he’s really changed?” He asked, because he was starting to have his doubts. 

“...I hope so.” Akiko mumbled, and while it was probably, an honest answer, it did little to comfort him.

“I mean, yeah, same-”

“Oh! Perfect timing!” They looked up to see Kawakami-sensei approaching them. “Study hall is to be held today instead of PE. I’m letting you know just in case you haven’t heard yet. Kamoshida-sensei has taken today off, and we weren’t able to find a substitute PE teacher in time....”

Ryuji felt his jaw drop! “H-He ain’t here!?”

Kawakami crossed her arms and leaned in a little closer, looking unsure of her next move. “Don’t tell anyone that you heard this from me, but-...” His former teacher stopped to make sure no one was looking.

“We’ve received word that Kamoshida-sensei is placing himself under suspension.”

Suspension...?

Suspension!?

“And at such an important time too, just before the big tournament...” Kawakami-sensei sighed, bringing her hand up to start nervously chewing at her thumb nail. “Principal Kobayakawa went to speak to him personally about it, but supposedly, he wasn’t making any sense at all...”

His brain didn’t quite process what his teacher was saying, he was still caught up on the first part!

“H-Hold on, a Suspension!?” He needed clarification. Like the same kind of suspension that Ryuji himself was put on after his supposed ‘Violent act’?! That kind of suspension!?

Kawakami glared at him sharply, her angry brown eyes reminding him vaguely of his mothers. He sunk into himself a little as she snapped at him to mind his volume.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as if she was fighting off a headache. 

“Due to... the circumstances, the talks about your expulsions may be put on hold.”

W-wait really?!

He and Akiko gave each other wide eyed looks.

“That’s all I can say on it, though.” Kawakami offered, shaking her head. “Regardless, I need to speak with Sakamoto-kun alone for a moment, Kurusu-chan. I’ll see you in class, alright?”

At the obvious dismissal, Akiko bowed, gave Ryuji an apologetic look before turning and walking off to her classroom. Once she was out of ear sight, Kawakami-sensei turned her attention to her former student.

“I’ll be brief, Sakamato-kun.” She sighed, her usual put-upon expression etched in place. “I’m sure you’ve been made aware of Kurusu-chan’s situation, yes?”

“What about it?” He crossed his arms, glaring at her. 

“Due to the...nature of her transfer here, there are certain restrictions that have been placed upon her.”

“I’m aware.” He growled out, already sensing where this conversation was going. “Look, we ain't datin’ like everyone says we are. We’re friends.”

“And so says Kurusu-chan, and I am inclined to believe her.”

“Than why the hell are you-”

“Don’t you cuss at me Sakamoto-kun!” His former homeroom teacher snapped, pointing a finger at him. “Especially not when I’m sticking my neck out for you two!”

Ryuji leaned back, staring her down but the anger in her brown eyes was far too similar to his moms to he broke the staring contest first, looking to the left with a scoff.

“As I was saying.” She continued, still sounding mad, but willing to put it aside for now. “I may be inclined to believe that the two of you are nothing more than friends, and I would love to encourage that friendship, but I’m not the only teacher here with opinions, and unfortunately my voice doesn't have a lot of sway here in comparison to others..”

He...guessed that made sense. Didn’t make him feel any better though.

“So what, I stop hanging out with my friend?”

“That’s not what I’m saying either...” Kawakami raised a hand like she was going to reach out to him, but stopped, dropping it back to her side with a sigh. “Just....get to class Sakamoto, and think carefully about your public image, alright?”

“Yeah yeah, sure thing, sensei.” He dismissed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he shuffled back to class.

Forget Kawakami.

He hadn’t listened to her last year when she was actually his sensei, like hell he was going to start now.

Besides, he couldn’t forget the more important part of their conversation.

Kamashida had put himself on suspension? And because of it, his and Akiko’s suspension was being put into question? 

Well, at least it sounded different from a mental shutdown...

There wasn’t much more than they really could do but wait.

He hated waiting.

\--------------

Once classes let out, he hit up Akiko and asked her if she wanted to do some more running around the school with him. He needed to run again. As tired as he was from their run the other day, the stumble he’d had on their run out of the collapsing castle nearly cost them everything because both Ann and Akiko had rushed to his sides to help him to his feet. He couldn’t afford to fail like that again, so he needed to train more. 

He was hoping Akiko would join him...

She’d been hesitant to join again, maybe Kawakami had spoken to her too? But eventually the two of them were behind the gym, just like they had been last week. 

Akiko stood by their gear, her phone in her hand as she timed his laps for him.

“W-what’s my time?” He asked, gasping for air as he jogged to a stop next to her. His lungs burned and he was pretty sure he was getting the beginnings of a stitch in his side.

“...a minute thirty.” Akiko said, hitting the screen to stop the clock

“Ugh! Damnnit!” He cursed. His times were awful! He used to be half that! “I wanna move better, but I just can't!”

He kicked at the dirt, before stretching out his arms, trying to deal with the stitch before it turned into a bigger problem.

“I was trainin’ for nationals back in the day... but I totally just suck balls!”

“...Ryu-”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” A male voice cut through their conversation like a knife, Akiko jumping slightly and Ryuji frowning. He recognized that voice...

Looking up, he saw that it wasn’t just one guy approaching them, but three different members of the old track team.

“N-nakaoka! Takeishi!” His track mates didn’t look happy to see him, they were glaring at him, just like they had before they all stuck to ignoring him instead. He scrambled to his feet, brushing the bits of dirt and grass off his uniform.

Nakaoka led the conversation, stepping forward. “Running again huh? I saw you from the window.”

Takeishi scoffed, cutting in. “What, you gonna try and come crawling back to the track team?”

“Huh? H-hell no...” Ryuji grumbled. He missed it sure but... not if these guys didn’t want him there, he wasn’t gonna force himself where he wasn’t wanted. They’d made it super clear they didn’t want anything from him, so why were they even down here today?

“Hmmm.” Nakaoka hummed, like he didn’t believe Ryuji. “...This was your secret training spot, wasn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah so?”

“Well it’s our spot now.” Nakaoka claimed, taking another step forward.

What?

“Thanks to someone I know,” Takeishi sneered at Ryuji, “We don’t even have a locker room anymore.”

Ryuji sighed heavily. There wasn’t really anything he could say to that...they were right after all. The track team had nothing now.

“L-Let’s not fight.” Akiko mumbled, taking a small step forward, and the three members of the old track team looked at her like it was the first time they noticed her presence at all.

“Ooh. I get it.” Laughed Takeishi. “You were just trying to show off for your girlfriend, funny Sakamato, I thought you liked the model types? Not some nerdy chick."

“She aint my girlfriend! We’re just friends!” He cried, defending Akiko as best he could. It was bad enough some teachers had been giving Akiko a hard time because they thought that they were dating, the last thing she needed was more people spreading the rumor around.

“P-Please...” Akiko insisted, her eyes darting nervously between Ryuji and the other boys.

“It’s fine, Aki-chan, we ain’t fightin’...” Ryuji didn’t intend on it anyway. He’d back off. If the guys wanted to use the space behind the gym to train then.... Ryuji’d just have to find somewhere else. There were plenty of other places to run in the city, after all.

“Yeah, cool your jets girly, this ain't anything like a fight. Not even close.” Nanaoka laughed before he looked closer at Akiko, tilting his head in thought. “Hey wait a second...ain’t you that transfer student? The one in the rumors?”

“I-I uh...” Akiko looked nervous, fumbling over her words a little.

“What’s a chick like you hangin’ round a loser like him for? He ain't got cash to pay you, you know.” Takeishi teased, leaning forward.

“Hey, back off Asshole. I told you, we’re just friends.” Ryuji growled, suddenly quite a bit firmer with his old buddies. He’d play civil with them for civils sake, but if they were going to try and disrespect Akiko, that was too far.

She wasn’t like that!

The third boy, Ito, spoke up. “Just be careful, ‘kay babe? He’ll hit you the second he gets pissed off, it’s in his genes, like father like son right?”

“That ain’t got nothing to do with-!” Ryuji shouted, temper flaring up. How dare he!? Who the fuck did Ito think he was!? He had no right to-

A cold hand slipping into the crook of his elbow, holding him back, brought him back into his body just as fast as his anger was about to draw him from it.

Akiko’s hand was wrapped around his arm, holding him back. “Ryuji, calm down... I know you’re not like that...”

“T-Thanks...” He mumbled, backing down. His face felt hot and he looked anywhere but Akiko, who was still tucked up against his side. It was like she was showing his old friends that she was choosing to stand by him, rather than be swayed by their words.

“Look, uh.. back then I...” He tried to start, looking to his old team mates to see if they would even be willing to entertain listening to him before he really got into it.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” Snapped Nakaoka. Guess now.

“Everyone was going through the same shit with Kamoshida! We all.... We know what he’s like, we were going through it too! But we were strong enough to put up with it for the sake of the track team! Everyone else was with the program, but no! You had to go and fuck it all up!”

Ryuji took a step back, letting Nakaoka get closer and closer into his personal space.

“Man, I was so stupid for ever thinking you were my teammate.” Nakaoka spat at his feet before turning away, shaking his head. “That was all I had to say... Come on guys, let's get outta here.”

Silently, Ryuji and Akiko watched as the three boys left, quickly vanishing around the corner of the building. He could hear them arguing amongst themselves as they went, something about how hadn’t they planned on kicking his ass? Well, he got spared an ass whooping today at least.

Ryuji sighed, dropping to the ground, flopping onto his back to look up at the sky, all the energy seemed like it was just drained from his limbs.

“....I nearly clocked him when he started talkin’ about my Dad...” He admitted, not liking how that was sitting on his chest, like a heavy crushing weight. “I really haven't changed at all...”

He’d wanted to smack that punk so hard, clock him right in the nose. It was like a switch in his brain got flipped the second his dad got brought up, and Ryuji hated that he couldn’t control it.

“....but you didn’t.” Akiko mumbled, moving to sit down on the grass next to him.

“Yeah, but only cuz you held me back!” He could still feel the lingering ghost of her cool fingertips, dancing across his heated skin. Why did her hand have to be so soft?

“You really helped me calm down... I’m glad you were here with me, I don’t think I could have done that alone. Probably would have turned into a fight, so like, thanks dude!”

Ryuji raised a hand for a high five, smiling happily when Akiko hesitantly slapped his hand with her own.

“Well, I guess we should call it quits for today, huh?”

The two wandered into their respective lockers rooms, showering off from all of the sweating that the running had worked up. Ryuji showed quickly, scrubbing at his hair and his body with the same three in one formula that his mom had bought for him back in middle school. He’d never bothered buying a different brand, this one smelt fine and it worked for him, so why not?

Ryuji was the first one finished again, sitting on the floot, waiting outside the locker room, playing some dumb idle-game on his phone while he waited. He was getting pretty close to a new high score when a shadow walked into his light, coming to a stop in front of him.

“Sup Aki-chan, that was quic-” He stopped, looking up to see that it was very much not Akiko who was standing in front of him, waiting silently for his attention, but in fact Niijima Makoto, the student council president.

It took everything in his power not to groan and roll his eyes in front of her. She was such a damn teacher's pet!

“Can I help you with something?” He asked, not nothing to even try and be polite in his tone.

“Yes. I had a question about you and Kurusu Akiko, if you would be so kind as to answer.” She smiled like a shark, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“What about us?”

“Rumor has it that the two of you have been spending an unusual amount of time together. You two wouldn’t happen to be involved, now would you?”

“Hell no!” Ryuji barked, seriously? What was with everyone? They weren’t even a little bit like a couple! They were just friends!

“Oh? You wouldn’t just be saying that because you know about the circumstances of her probation, or her attendance at this school, now would you?”

“I’m saying it cuz it’s true! I’m not dating Kurusu Akiko! I don’t even want to!” He realized that he was raising his voice but it was really starting to piss him off. Kawakami, Nakaoka, and now this?! Niijima should just really mind her own business, didn’t she have a charity to go found or something?! Furthermore!

“She’s not even my type, okay?! You think I can’t do better than some nerdy girl with hair like that?!” She was cute, don’t get him wrong, but like, come on! He’d always been attracted to different kinds of girls! Sexy girls! Girly-girls! Girls that gave a shit about how they looked? Like, did she even really count as a girl!? They ran together and fought side by side, and Ryuji felt closer to her than he’d ever felt with the guys on the track team, but that’s all it was! Just a friendship! Just like with any of the guys of the track team!

Akiko was practically a guy friend to Ryuji! She just happened to be a girl!

“Well I-” Niijima started, but Ryuji wasn’t going to let her stop, he was too worked up now.

“We ain’t dating! We ain’t fooin’ around! We’re just running together.” He stressed, counting the list of things they were very much not doing on his fingers before spotting movement over Niijima’s shoulder. Akiko! There she was! She’d talk some sense into this girl!

“Yo! Akiko! Tell her we’re not dating, please!? This is getting ridiculous!”

Akiko, dressed back into her school uniform, her long hair wet and hanging limping around her frame. She refused to look at either of them, her gaze firmly on the ground. 

“...we’re just friends...” Akiko mumbled, her tone empty and cold.

Huh? What was wrong?

She wasn’t this reserved a little while ago, he’d even gotten a laugh out of her before they split up to shower! Was it Niijima? He had seen them talking the other day, had the student council president said something to Akiko? Was that why she was so upset? Whatever it was, he didn’t like to see his friend looking that upset, so he decided to cut the interaction short for all of them

“Well, that settles it. Just friends.” He stood up and clapped his hands, like he was knocking the dust off them or something. “So, if you’ll excuse us, Niijima-Senpai, we should get going.”

He turned and started to walk off down the hall. Thank god Niijima didn’t try to stop him.

He could hear Akiko mumble something to the other girl, before jogging to catch up to him, her uniform shoes clacking against the tile.

Once they got outside Ryuji sighed heavily, unsquaring his shoulders and slumping forward with a groan.

“Goooood that sucked.” He groaned, scratching the back of his head. “ -the hell is with everyone today? Can’t a guy and a girl be friends without the whole world seeing it for something different?”

Akiko didn’t reply right away, so Ryuji looked over at her.

She was standing just a few feet behind him, looking almost as small and as afraid as she had the first day he’d meet her. Her head was hung low, and her shoulder slumped. With all that long black hair everywhere, she almost looked like some kind of vengeful spirit, roaming the halls of Shujin looking for revenge or something.

“Hey...are you okay?” He had to ask, she’d been extra quiet since she’d left the locker room.

Akiko fumbled with her words a little, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. “I-... yeah. yeah I’m fine.” He wasn’t sure how much he believed that, but Akiko was a quiet girl, so maybe he’d just been over-thinking things?

“Don’t let Niijima bother you okay? She’s nothing but a good-for-nothing teachers pet.” He offered lightly, trying his best to lighten her mood.

“...’kay.” It was small and tight, but it was a reply, so Ryuji would take it for now. He reached out and clapped a hand on her shoulder, grinning brightly.

“Want me to ride the train home with you again? It's almost rush hour again.” He offered, more so to be polite than anything. She’d declined his offer to the same the last several times he’d suggested it and today was no different it seemed.

She shook her head, her hair flopping side to side as she did so. “....no thank you. I should be going now.”

“W-well...alright...” Ryuji relented, watching as without another word on it, Akiko turned to leave. “Get home safe!” He called to her retreating form, getting a small wave in return.

Girls were weird and he’d never understand them.

\----------

By the time he got home, he had more time to think about it, and try and piece together what could have made Akiko so despondent, but he just couldn’t think of anything.

It must have either been Niijima, or something from the confrontation with the guys earlier wasn’t sitting well with her? He had almost involved her in a fight, while her standing with the school was even worse than his own...

He’d better call and apologise.

He pressed the call button and waited. And waited. He was almost positive that it was going to go to voicemail by the time she finally answered.

“Moshi moshi?”

“Yo, it’s me.” Ryuji offered. “You good to talk?”

“...uhh...yeah, I guess...”

“Cool. So like, I wanted to thank you again for today. I really do owe you one, dude.” Ryuji paused, but when Akiko didn’t offer a response, he continued. “I need to work on it I guess... My temper, I mean. I got pissed off so damn easily...”

“I...I can’t exactly blame you...that guy was a jerk...”

Ryuji laughed, snickering softly. If Ito ever found out a girl thought he was a jerk? Ito? Self proclaimed man of love and womans’ hopes and dreams? That’d be too funny.

“Nah, this one’s definitely my bad.” He wouldn’t let himself off that easily, but he also wanted to make sure that Akiko knew that he regretted his almost-decision. 

“Besides!” He flopped onto his bed, letting his head hit the pillow with the whump. “I shouldn’t have tried to cause a scene. It would have pulled you into more bad shit, you don’t need that.”

Akiko didn’t offer a reply and Ryuji felt like a damn genius! Bingo! That’s why she got all upset afterwards! She realized she might have had to deal with another assault case! 

“So yeah, like, that was my bad. I shouldn’t have even thought about trying to fight with you around.”

“I-It’s fine....don’t worry about it.”

“Still though, I wonder what they were arguing about when they left...” It was almost like old times, just ribbing each other one after the other, for what felt like hours... He kinda missed it...

“But hey, I’m just an outsider, ain’t got nothing to do with me.” And that’s all he’d ever really be at Shujin. He had to remember that. Just because he had two friends now, didn’t mean the whole school was suddenly on his side or something.

“So uh, Thanks again for today.” Two friends were better than nothing, and Ryuji would do his best to cherish the friends he had now while he had them. Speaking of! “Oh also! Don’t forget to massage your legs before you sleep, ‘kay! Don’t want ‘em cramping up on you in the middle of the night! See you tomorrow AkiAki!”

He hung up and stretched, his arms above his head.

Well! That went well for a monday he guessed! Could have gone worse... could have gotten his ass beat, or gotten Akiko in trouble with the school for fighting... Yeah, all things considered, today had been a decent day!

He was about to stand up and go make some instant ramen for a snack when his phone chimed. It was the group chat!

 **Ann:** I went to see Shiho today.

 **Ann:** I told her we settled things with Kamoshida...that we had avenged her.

Shiho was awake!? That was awesome! But just what the hell did Ann mean, she told Shiho!? Told her what? Everything?! Was she crazy?!

 **Ann:** She still hasn’t regained consciousness yet but... I had to make amends somehow...

Oh well then...but still? Amends?

 **Ryuji:** What do you mean? You didn’t do anything wrong, Ann.

She was a victim in this, just as much as Shiho was! What the hell did she have to make amends for?

 **Akiko:** He’s right, Ann. This is Kamoshida’s doing. Not yours.

 **Ann:** But I wasn’t there when she needed my help. I’m a failure as a friend...

How could Ryuji reply to that? Tell her ‘No, your not’? It would sound so hollow...

 **Ann:** I have to do all I can do for her to make up for that, starting now.

 **Ann:** Otherwise, I’m not sure I’d be able to move on...

 **Ryuji:** Man, I never knew you were this passionate.

 **Ryuji:** You were so much more reserved back in middle school.

 **Ann:** It’s embarrassing but, I think I have you guys to thank for that.

 **Ann:** I hope that even though we stole the Treasure, I hope that the three of us can still be friends, and keep helping each other out.

 **Ann:** Crap, that was so sappy, how so I delete?

 **Ryuji:** Haha! You like hanging out with us bad kids!

 **Ann:** Shut up!

 **Akiko:** I hope we can all continue to be friends too.

 **Ann:** yeah.

 **Ryuji:** hell yeah!

Now that that conversation seemed to be over, Ryuji plugged in his phone to change and wandered off to go make Ramen. Running again sure was working up an appetite. 

\--------

The next day was no different. 

Kamoshida was still absent, and class was still unbearable. He could hardly concentrate on anything, missing the teacher calling for his attention until a ruler was slapped onto his desk. Chuno-sensei was no joke sometimes. 

His leg was still a little upset from yesterday, it had been too long since Ryuji had run and it was really showing. As soon as the bell rang he leaned back in his seat and pulled out his phone to text the group about the idea he’d had before Chuno-sensei had scared him out of his mind earlier.

 **Ryuji:** I hate this! All this waiting has me so antsy!

 **Ryuji:** We should do something! Like a trip or whatever! Whaddya think?

**Ann was the first to reply, her text box popping up pretty quickly.**

****

****

**Ann:** Sorry, I’m going to have to pass.

 **Ryuji:** What, you busy? We haven’t picked a day yet.

 **Ann:** Yeah, I’m going to visit Shiho in the hospital after school everyday until she wakes up. 

**Ann:** I can’t do much to help her, but it’s nice to see her face... to know she’s okay.

Ahh that made sense. They always had been super close. Ryuji had always kinda felt like a third wheel in their friendship, which was why he hadn’t fought harder to keep in once they got to highschool.

 **Ryuji:** Gotcha. I hope she wakes up soon.

Shiho had always been closer to Ann, but she was a nice girl. She’d always been kind to him, and never treated him like he was dumb. She had been a good friend.

 **Akiko:** I’m sure she’s happy you’re there for her, Ann-chan.

 **Ann:** Thanks Aki-chan, I hope so...

 **Ann:** Once things calm down though, I’m totally down to go somewhere!

 **Ann:** I meant it when I said I wanted us to be friends, so don’t think this is me trying to bail on you guys or anything!

 **Ryuji:** Don’t worry about it, we understand Ann! Make sure to tell Shiho we say hi, okay?

 **Ann:** Will do! Thanks guys! Talk to you later!

He sighed and closed out of that chat, before pulling up a conversation with Akiko.

 **Ryuji:** Yo. What’s up? I’m too sore to run again today, but did you wanna go get some Ramen or something?

 **Akiko:** Sorry.

 **Akiko:** I need to go back to the Cafe today. Sakura-san asked for my help in the shop today.

 **Ryuji:** That sucks!

 **Akiko:** It’s not so bad. I like the cafe.

 **Ryuji:** Well...have fun I guess!

 **Ryuji:** I’ll talk to you tomorrow then! Bye!

Well, that plan didn’t work out! He slumped across his desk with a groan, before straightening up and gathering up his bookbag.

Guess he’d go spend some time in the arcade in Shibuya, it’s been a while since he’s made an attempt for the high scores...

\---------

After a couple hours of jumping between the different racing games and shooting games, Ryuji left the arcade, yawning a little to himself. He hadn’t beaten any high scores, and in fact, it had been a while since he’d last played that badly...

He had a lot of stuff on his mind and he had hoped that playing games would help distract him, but it hadn’t helped. 

He pulled out his phone, checked the time and started to walk back home. He decided to text Akiko, figuring she was finished with whatever help she had to do in the cafe by now.

 **Ryuji:** Yo. You hear anything about stuff happening to Kamoshida?

He doubted it, but it was worth a shot. Maybe Morgana heard something with his cat hearing?

 **Akiko:** No.

 **Ryuji:** I see...

So they were still just stuck waiting, with no idea if they’d killed a man or not. His gut twisted violently at the thought of it. Kamoshida was a bastard, and hell maybe at the end of the day he did deserve to die... but for Ryuji to be the one responsible?

He hated how that sat on his shoulder, just the possibility...

 **Akiko:** Did something happen?

 **Ryuji:** No, no, I just can’t stop feeling anxious about it.

 **Ryuji:** We did it. We beat that bastard's shadow or whatever, we stole his treasure, we almost died and...we still might end up getting expelled?

 **Ryuji:** My mom would totally flip if that happened....

She’d been more than understanding when Kamoshida had broken his leg, and he had gotten suspended for a few weeks, but for him to get actually expelled? All she ever asked of him was to finish high school...

 **Ryuji:** Not to mention, if we couldn’t even help Ann or Suzui...

 **Akiko:** We can’t do anything else but wait...

She was right, he sighed as he walked down the stairs leading into the subway. He’d better finish up before he lost connection underground

 **Ryuji:** Guess I just gotta accept my now. Can’t get all pessimistic over something we can’t change right?

 **Ryuji:** I feel better now, thanks for talkin’ dude!

 **Ryuji:** Anyways, getting on a train, see you tomorrow!

Slipping his phone back into his pocket he sighed and sunk even further into his seat, the woman next to his giving him a look of annoyance, but he ignored it, too tired to get into it with some old bitch.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful, and by the time he had it home, it was late enough that his Mom was already home!

“Ryu-kun!” She greeted from the couch, waving happily. Her short hair was pulled back into a ponytail, small strands of black hair framing her face gently and she was still wearing her uniform from her part time job at the convenience store. 

Sakamoto Jun worked three jobs, all different part time jobs; one bar job, one waitress gig, and a part time job at the convenience store down the street, all to pay for their apartment and support her son as best she could. She was often tired, overworked, and stressed, but she loved her son so it was worth it, or that’s what she always told him.

“Maaaa! I’m not a little kid anymore!” He whined, kicking off his shoes. She’d been calling him Ryu-kun since before he could remember and his friends used to tease him about it mercilessly.

“How was your day sweetie?” She asked, laughing at her son before using her chopsticks to pick up a piece of takeout sushi from the box on the coffee table and eat it.

Ryuji shuffled into the apartment, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and looking for snacks. He found a bag of potato chips in the cupboard and went to join his mother on the sofa. She was watching some game show with some celebrity on it. The laugh track was annoying, but his mom was hoarding the remote on the other side of the couch, so he was stuck with it for now.

“ ‘was fine.” He grunted, cracking the bottle open and taking a few sips. He was thirstier than he’d thought he was.

“Just fine?” His mom pushed, nudging him with her leg.

“Yeah, it was fine. My friends were too busy to hang out today so-”

“Oh you made some new friends!?” Jun bounced in her seat, her smile brightening up her face. She was young, having dropped out of her first year of college to give birth to him, but she looked even younger when she smiled.

Ryuji flushed under her attention. “Maaa!” He whined. What was the big deal!? He could have friends! He was a friendly guy!

“Tell me about them!” Jun set her chopstick down, turning to face her son fully, giving him her undivided attention, her large brown eyes sparkling as she waited for his reply.

“Geeez, Mom, it’s no big deal.” He grumbled, looking away from her executing gaze. “I’m just...talking with Takamaki again. And there’s this new transfer student that we’re friends with too.”

“Ann-chan!?” Jun squealed, hugging her son tightly around the neck, ignoring his red faced protest. “Oh Ryu-kun I’m so happy for you! I’ve missed Ann-chan. She was such a sweet girl!”

“U-huh, super sweet.” He rolled his eyes, remembering all the times Ann used to nag him, or give him shit about his grades. Sure, she was sweet alright. Sweet as wasabi!

“And what about this transfer student? Tell me about them? Are they in your class?”

“No, Akiko is in Ann’s class. I ran into her on the way to school the other day...”

“Akiko-chan?” Jun grinned like a maniac. “Two girl friends in just a week! Ooohh! My little Ryu-kun is so popular!”

“Mom! It ain't like that!” He denied, his face hot.

“Is she cute? Tell me about her!” His mom pressed, leaning into his personal space.

“She aint cute!” He shouted, trying to push her away. “She’s just a nerd with messy hair, she’s totally not my type!”

“She must be special if she’s friends with my Ryu-kun~!” His Mom reached for his cheek, managing to grab a pinch.

“Moooom!” He groaned.

“I wanna meet her! Let me meet your friends Ryu-kun!”

“No way in hell! You’ll just embarrass me!”

“Ryuuuuu-kuuunnnn~ you can’t talk to your momma like that!” She whined, flopping dramatically across his lap.

“I haven't called you ‘Momma’ since I was like 10! And get off me! You weigh like a ton!” He pushed her off, her body rolling onto the floor with a thump.

“Wahhh! Ryu-kun is so mean to meee!” She cried from the floor, wiggling dramatically about.

“Oh my god Mom, how old are you again!?” He groaned, stealing a piece of her Sushi before she could stop him.

By the time he’d managed to get out of the conversation, he’d made some vague commitment to invite the girls over to his house for dinner some day. As if that was gonna happen! Knowing his mom she’d spend the whole time cooing about how ‘cute’ the girls were, and just embarrassed everyone involved.

She was embarrassing as hell sometimes, but...

She was his Mom and she sacrifice a lot for him so... maybe he could put up with one night of embarrassment for her happiness’s sake. Maybe! If everything worked out....

Flopping into bed with a sigh Ryuji made the mental promise to invite them over for dinner once everything with Kamoshida was resolved.

If things went bad, who knows what could happen. It might be hard to invite Akiko to dinner if she was being sent to a different school...or worse, juvie.

Damn, he kinda forgot how shitty the whole thing for Akiko really was. Her whole damn future was on the line, and here he was just worried about getting expelled. She’d already been there, done that and even worse!

Hopefully they’d get answers soon...

\-------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy writing Ryuji's perspective. I hope I do it justice.


	10. Chapter 10: Sojiro, Iwai

Chapter 10: Sojiro, Iwai

\----------------------------------

“Good, you’re here.” Was what Sorijo offered the girl instead of a greeting when she came in the door. “Get some clean clothes on and grab an apron. Time to show you the ropes around here.”

She nodded silently and scampered upstairs. 

Before she’d left for school that morning he’d asked her to come back home right after class and give him a hand in the shop. He was honestly impressed with how thoroughly she’d been cleaning everything, even after he’d told her it wasn’t necessary, he could still tell that she was doing work, now that he was keeping an eye out for it. Might as well put her to proper work, he reasoned to himself. Give her some job skills she could have on a resume.

It didn’t take Akiko long to reamerge from the attic, dressed in plain denim jeans and a simple long sleeve shirt that was a little too big for her frame. If she rolled up the sleeves she’d be fine, he guessed.

“Get an apron on, it’s almost time for one of my regulars and she’s a talkative one.”

The girl nodded, heading into the bathroom where Sojiro stored the spare aprons with the cleaning supplies.

“And do something with that rats-nest you call hair! I don’t want to see a single strand fall out tonight! This whole thing is over if I get a single complaint about hair in the coffee!” He called out to her, suddenly forseeing the horrible possibility of his regulars finding a hair in their food or drink

“Y-yes sir.” Was the muffled reply he got through the wall.

After a minute or two, Akiko left the bathroom, her hair pulled into what Sojiro thought was an attempt at a bun? He didn’t know women’s hairstyles very much, but he knew that that looked like a mess. It was floppy and lopsided and he knew his eyes were old, but was that a rubber band he saw? Like an Elastic band? Didn’t that hurt?

He’d never really had longer hair himself, but he’d had several lady-friends over the years, they always used propper hair ties. Even Futaba had him go to the store and buy packages of hair-bands once or twice, along with her preferred brand of orange hair dye. He wasn’t sure how she kept needing so many, it wasn’t like she ever left her room.

“You sure about that kid?” He asked, raising a brow.

Akiko looked up at him, confusion written on her face. Now that the majority of her mane was pulled back, it was easier to see her face. Had she always had cheekbones like that? Her face was thin... was she eating enough?

“What do you mean, Boss?”

“Forget it. If you’re happy with it, I guess.” He sighed, shaking his head. As long as it kept the hair out of the food, that’s all that mattered at the end of the day.

She wasn’t his concern, she was his problem.

Sojiro had to remind himself of that sometimes.

The doorbell chimed and the click of heels announced the arrival of a new customer.

“Welcome.” He smiled, nodding at the woman. Like he’d predicted, it was his regular. He couldn’t remember her name off the top of his head, but she was a nice enough lady, if a little loud. She was wearing pink heels, a pink blazer, and a white flowy skirt with cherry blossoms patterns on the bottom.

“So-chan!” She smiled, taking her seat at the far booth. It was closest to the TV, so it was a lot of people’s favorite spot to sit.

“You have a new employee I see!” She cooed, setting her purse aside. “You’re so kind~”

“Yeah, just a part timer. It is her first shift though, so I apologize if you overhear any training.”

“Oh don’t mind me, So-chan! I will have the meal set though, Coffee and curry please.”

“Coming right up.” He nodded, turning to Akiko. “Watch what I do with this order, and we’ll get into the specifics later.” 

She nodded silently, eyes sharp and ready to learn. He appreciated that. 

It didn’t take him too long to get a serving of curry plated and a cup of coffee on the table.

“Now, since you’re going to be working here in my store, I’ll need to hammer home the basics first...” He mumbled to himself before addressing Akiko more directly.

“The store’s not the busiest around, but I’m real particular about how things get done around here. I’ll kick you out, no questions asked if you serve a bad cup, you got that?” He stated to his new hire, as he put everything back into his proper place. 

“Yes sir.”

“Ahaha, So-chan definitely does things right with his coffee, that’s for sure. It goes so well with his special curry, I can’t help but order the whole meal set everytime I come.” The woman piped up, placing her coffee back onto the saucer with a clink after she took a sip.

“What can I say?” Sojiro offered, smiling gently at her. She was easily way too high a maintenance woman for his tastes, but flirting was harmless, and brought regulars back, so why not. 

“Each of my regulars gets an experience that’s personally tailored to them.” It was true enough. The curry was the same, sure, but he changed up how he brewed the coffee to make his customers preferences.

“Can you tell me the key to that wonderful flavor, So-chan? I’d love to be able to make it at home sometime.” She smiled softly, leaning forward a little.

“Sorry, lips are sealed on that trade secret. You’re free to try and guess based off the taste though.” He wasn’t just going to go around telling the world how to make that curry, that was just bad business sense. Besides... it wasn’t his recipe to share... 

“Cheapskate!” She gasped, before giggling behind her hand.

Sojiro laughed and made an offer instead. “How about some desert to soften the blow? Only 300 yen!”

She took him up on the deal and after he had Akiko serve her some of the mango flavored sorbet that he bought from some fancy place in Kichijoji, she ended up eating it quickly and leaving not too long after.

He had Akiko wash the dishes while he put the women's money in the register. 

“When you run a shop, you get all sorts of customers. Getting to know them and their personalities is absolutely vital. That’s what being in the services industry is all about.” He said, turning to face his new employee, leaning against the bar a little to relax. 

“Yes sir.” Was the stiff reply, Akiko not even looking up from the washing. She was really through with them, going over each dish multiple times to make sure every inch was cleaned.

“I keep telling you kid, you can call me Boss.”

“Yes Boss.”

“You can relax a little, you know.” He laughed. He knew he made a few threats to throw her out but he was just being a hardass, he didn’t actually mean it.

The jingle of the doorbell caught his attention.

“Welco-” He cut himself when he saw who it was who’d entered his store. Isshiki Youji, Isshiki Wakaba’s older brother and Futaba’s uncle. “You...” What was he doing here? How had he even found him here?

“Hello! It’s been quite a while, Sakura-san!” Youji smiled. In Sojiro’s opinion, it wasn’t long enough. The last time that he’d seen the man was the day he’d picked Futaba up from her grandparents home.

“I heard you opened up a shop, so hear I am! It wouldn’t have hurt to mention it to me though. It’s such a nice location! Right near the station and everything.” 

“Your order?” Not in the mood for any sort of pleasantries with this pathetic excuse of a man, Sojiro decided to cut to the point. Serve him the damn coffee and get him out if he had to.

Isshiki just laughed at his tone. “Wooah, no small talk? Hahaha that’s so cold. Oh but this smell... sure brings back memories. You’re still making that curry, huh?” He smiled again, but because it didn’t reach his eyes, Sojiro felt more like the other man was baring his teeth at him. 

“Guess that means you still haven’t gotten over her yet.”

“Your order, Sir.” He ground out, clenching his hands into fists. The nerve of him...

“Hahaha, you’re so pushy!” Youji laughed, waving a hand like the barbs in Sojiro’s tone did him no harm. “Anyway, I was just dropping by to say Hi today, but I’ll be back soon enough. Bye for now Sakura-san.”

And just like that, he left the store. He’d only been inside for maybe two minutes total, but his impact was impossible to not be felt. Sojiro sighed heavily, pulling his glasses off his face to rub at his eyes in irritation. What a damn headache.

“Ugh, how the hell did he catch wind of this place?” He asked himself aloud, completely forgetting he wasn’t alone in the store.

“...he seemed suspicious.” A small voice came from behind him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin before he remembered that the damn attic rat was still down here. Darn, he really was getting old!

“Ahahaha!” He laughed nervously as he tried to get his heartbeat to return to a normal rhythm. All this stress couldn’t be good for him! Maybe he should go see that Doctor down the road... she might cut him a deal on some medicine in exchange for some coffee...

“So you got a pair of working eyes after all!” He admitted, putting his own glasses back on his face. “But if you have time for speculation, you have time to learn about bean types. You’ll be useless to me if you can’t pick up on the ABC’s quickly.”

“R-right away sir.” Akiko mumbled, putting the drying cloth away and turning to face him fully.

“You’re always so damn obedient kid, you sure you really are a criminal?”

“...I uh...” Akiko mumbled, ducking her head down. She fiddled with her fingers and fumbled over her words, starting and stopping several times.

“Just joking, kid.” He sighed, not in the mood for some half baked defense. “Either way, I’m still gonna teach you right. That way I can just sit back while you do all the work.” He nudged her arm with his elbow, to try and convey that once again, he was just teasing her.

She nodded mutely, and he took that as he que to start teaching her about the different kinds of roasts that they carried. Dark roasts, medium roasts, blonde roasts, his espresso grinds.

He was just about to get into the kinds of grinds that they could do with each roast, and which worked best, when the clock on the wall chimed that it was much later than he had anticipated.

“...Oh, is it that time already?” He mumbled, scratching at his head. Time flies when you’re having fun, or so they say. “Let’s start closing up. You handle the cleaning, I’ll do the paperwork stuff.”

“Yes Boss.”

\-----

Later, when Sojiro had made it back home, after he’d brought Futaba dinner and knocked on her door to let her know it was there, he retreated to his small office room.

He could just call the pay phone in the store again but... He checked under a couple of different stacks papers, accidentally knocking one completely over in his search for the file he did eventually manage to find, at the bottom of everything, because of course it was.

Kurusu Akiko’s file from her probation officer. 

Sinking into his stiff, old worn in office chair, he flipped it open and pulled out his cellphone, carefully punching in the same number listed under her contact details onto his touch screen.

It only rang for a moment before someone picked up.

“Moshi Moshi?”

“Hey it’s me.” He sighed, recognising her voice on the other end. “Glad this number works. I forgot to ask you for your number before I left, so I had to dig up your papers, it was a hassle and a half, lemme tell you.”

When Akiko didn’t offer a reply, he realized how it might have sounded, himself, an older man saying he’d forgotten to ask a highschooler for their number. Ugh this was why he didn’t save minors numbers in his phone to begin with!

“A-Anyways.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. 

“Are you done cleaning up yet?” When Sojiro had left, she’d still been going pretty hard at the mopping, but he’d told her to call it a night once she was done. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t cleaning the bathroom from top to bottom or something.

“Y-Yes sir, I-I mean Boss! Yes Boss!”

“Relax kid!” He laughed a little. Seriously, if he wasn’t staring at her mugshot and the copy of her criminal records, he’d have never guessed this kid could be that kind of girl.

He pulled her mugshot from the file and turned it over and over in his fingers as he spoke, fiddling absentmindedly. 

“What I was going to say was, I’m going to let you handle cleaning the store at closing from now on, you’ve done such a good job of it so far.

“...y-you think so?”

“I know so.” He smiled softly and sunk into his seat. Honestly... this kid... “Once you get a little more settled, I’ll start having you do a little more.”

“...’kay. Thanks Boss. I’m very grateful that I can be helpful to you.”

“D-Don’t mention it.” He coughed a little. “Anyhow, we’ll get a routine set up, and hey maybe one day I can actually take it easy around the store.”

Once again, there wasn’t an immediate reply from his ward, so he just continued. 

“All right, that was everything I wanted to say. Don’t stay up too late. Get some sleep.”

“Good night Boss.”

Once he hung up, he tossed his phone gently onto his desk, the hard plastic chucking onto the wood. With a heavy sigh, he sunk lower into his chair and gave the mug shot in his hands a closer look.

He was no cop, but wouldn’t a prostitute put a little more effort into her appearance? The teenage girl holding her identity placard, and staring into the camera with wide panicked eyes, puffy and swollen from crying. The picture was in black in white, the grainy details printed in different shades of grey.

He’d always been a popular enough guy that he’d never had to indulge in the company of a working woman, but he’d been to Shinjuku at night more than enough to know that they didn’t usually look like the nerdy girl who was currently staying in his attic.

He sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes with heavy fingers.

What a mess he’d gotten himself into.

He never should have answered that call!

\--------

The morning as Sojiro came into the store, ready to open up for the day, Akiko was sitting at the bar, reading a book. 

It was another title from the pile of books he’d left up in the attic to rot. It was certainly looking worse for wear, water stained and frayed, but even from across the store, Sojiro could see how deeply absorbed into the book the young teenager was.

Her hair was down again, hanging down in a curtain of black frizzy messy locks around her. It was hard to tell because her hair was always a mess, but it almost looked worse today.

Sojiro was reminded of the mug shot from the night before. Her hair had been messy then too...

“Good morning.” He greeted, setting his coat on the coat hook by the door.

“Oh, good morning Boss.” She looked up and smiled at him nervously before fiddling with the book in front of her, “I wanted to ask... W-would you mind if I spent time here after school again? I want to learn more...”

“Oh! Uhh, sure kid, if you want...” He was taken aback, but he wasn’t going to say no if she wanted to help up again. She’d been a big help yesterday, just handling the cleaning stuff for him.

“Thank you, Boss.” Akiko smiled, her whole face lighting up before she bowed at the waist, stopping just short of hitting her head on the countertop. “I promise to work very hard!”

“Yeah no problem...” He muttered, slipping behind the counter before a thought occurred to him. “You sure you wouldn’t rather hang out with that friend of yours today? What was her name? Saka-chan?”

Akiko shook her head silently, lowering her gaze to the table, her whole energy suddenly changing. The bright smile that once dominated her face sliding back into the neutral expression he’d gotten used to seeing on his young wards face. A mask, he noted.

Ahh. He got it.

They must have had a fight. 

Highschool girls could be so catty sometimes. He remembered some of the nasty things the girls in his class used to do to each other, and no one in his class had a criminal record... He could only imagine what school was like for her...

“Well kid, you’re free to work here anytime you want, just slip on an apron and start cleaning up. I really appreciate the help.”

It wouldn’t be much, but he could offer her that much, besides it was mostly a win win for him. He got someone to handle the dishes and clean the store. His back had certainly thanked him last night as he was crawling into bed. He’d use her help as long as she’d offer it, really.

“Here, I’ll get you some breakfast, but you should be hurrying up soon. Don’t want to be late for school.”

“Mmmhmmm.” Akiko nodded, humming affirmatively, setting her book aside after marking her place with a folded piece of paper.

After she was done, his ward put her own dish into the sink, and bowed at him, promising to come back as soon as school let out.

\--------

True to her word, she was back at LeBlanc shortly after school let out and was quickly dressed and ready to work. She had that tan elastic holding her hair up once again, Sojiro noted, and he made the mental note to see if he couldn’t find a loose hair tie or two in the bathroom back home. He knew that Futaba left them on the floor all the time, she wouldn’t notice if a few went missing.

He set her to work to study the different types of beans while he got to work on his next batch of curry, the two of them working silently, the quiet chatter from the TV filling the cafe. 

It was almost pleasant.

“Well!” He clapped his hands, putting the lid onto the pot, leaving it to simmer. It did little to cover up the warm, spicy smell that permeated the air. “That’s it for tomorrow’s curry.”

He looked over to Akiko who was standing at his wall of coffee beans, carefully reading each of the labels and comparing them by the contents inside. She had one hand brought to her mouth in thought, the other wrapped around her middle in almost a sort of self hug.

“Hey, how's it going?” Sojiro asked, putting his hands on his hips. “You getting a handle on remembering the different bean types?”

When she simply nodded at him, he accepted the silent answer. Moving towards the brewing station, he was ready to start teaching her some of the basics.

“Good to hear. Now, let’s talk about the three factors that determine the flavor for a cup of coffee: grind, heat and time.”

Akiko shuffled to his side, silently listening to his instructions carefully. She lowered the hand near her mouth, bringing it down to mirror the other, crossing her arms tightly across her front.

“First up, is the grind. For the siphons we have here, we’re aiming for medium-fine.” He explained, pointing out said siphons to her, so she could follow along. She nodded silently, and Sojiro briefly remembered his first job, and how he’d spent the whole first day just nodding along to whatever the Boss said, everything flying in one ear and out the other because he was so nervous.

“Are you listening to me?” He asked, turning to look at his trainee, placing his hands on his hips. “What grind are you supposed to use?” he quizzed.

“Medium-fine, Boss.” She didn’t look at him, but she didn’t stutter over her words.

Well, he’ll be darned she was listening after all.

“Yeah, that’s good.” He smiled a little, turning back to the station. She had potential, at least there was that. “It’s a lot of effort, hardly worth the small profit it makes, but hey, money is money after all.”

Akiko nodded, absorbing his words like a sponge.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna forgive you if you serve our customers crap coffee though. Remember that.”

“Y-Yes Boss.” She nodded, her messy bun flopping back and forth on top of her head.

Whatever he’d been planning to say next was cut off when his phone started to ring from his pocket. He didn’t recognize the number at all.

“Who could this be?” He mumbled aloud before taking the call. “Yes, moshi moshi?”

“Ahh Sakura-san! I’m so glad to be able to speak to you again!”

Sojiro felt the cold rush of dread run down his spine. That voice. It was Isshiki again.

“How’d you get this number?” He asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“Now now Sakura-san. Is that anyway to treat me? Why I mean we’re practically family! Won’t you come and drink with me, brother?” By his tone, it was clearly a command, and not a request.

“Now?” Sojiro frowned, looking at the clock. It was getting late. Just what did Youji want with him? “Where?”

“There’s this bar not too far from Kichijoji I’ve wanted to try. Won’t you join me Sakura-san?”

“...Fine.”

He growled before hanging up the phone. 

Might as well play polite to see what the other man wanted.

\-----

Money! Of course it was money!

It had always been the only thing that Youji had ever wanted, for as long as Sojiro had known him.

Waste of his time, and his gas. Sojiro parked his car in his spot next to his house and closed the door loudly behind him. He’d forgotten to lock it again. Not like it really mattered, it was a safe enough area.

“Futaba! I’m home!” He called out, knowing full well he was unlikely to get a response. He kicked off his shoes, hung up his coat, and wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. 

He hadn’t even sat down long enough at the bar to order a damn drink.

The second he showed up, Youji started making comments about how ‘there ‘Mr. Moneybags’ was’, and made a comment about how now that Sojiro was there, now he could really drink because ‘of course Sakura-san would be polite enough to cover the bill for him.’

He’d quickly informed him that, No he would not be covering the bill, nor would he be staying long enough to do any drinking. He just wanted to know what Youji had to say and that was it.

It really shouldn’t have been a surprise when Isshiki tried to ask him for money. 

Wasn’t even polite about it either, the worm. He just asked like he was expecting Sojiro to just open his bank account to him, no questions asked. It was ridiculous.

Sojiro left shortly after, making it very clear that he didn’t intend on giving Youji any money, now or ever.

Hopefully that would get the message through Isshiki’s thick head.

Clearly, it was Wakaba who got all the brains out of the two siblings.

Cracking his beer and downing half the can in one breath, Sojiro sighed loudly and placed a hand on the counter to regain his balance.

To think he left work early to deal with that! 

Oh shoot, that’s right! He’d left Akiko to close up all by herself! He’d better call and check on her.

He fished his cellphone out of his pocket, taking a moment to save Isshiki’s number as “DO NOT ANSWER” before he pulled up Akiko’s contact and pressed the call button.

It rang twice before she answered.

“Moshi Moshi?”

“Hey, it’s me.” He sighed, sagging his ass into his couch, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. “You get everything closed up, okay?”

“...Yes Boss.”

“Good.” He sighed. “Sorry about earlier. I had to take care of some business.”

“...sounded like trouble.” She mumbled and Sojiro had to laugh a little.

“What, you worried about me, kid? Don’t be, it’s nothing.” He took another sip of his beer and sighed. He wished it was nothing.

“But hey, sure did come in handy having you around. Turns out you’re pretty useful to have around the store after all.”

“T-Thank you Boss.”

“Don’t go thanking me just yet, I still got plenty of time to put you to work, you know.”

“...Thank you for teaching me.”

“Heh, again, such an obedient kid.” He mumbled, getting ready to take another sip of beer. “Well, as long as you help out and do your part, I’ll treat you fairly.”

“I.....I will, you can count on me, Sakura-san.”

“Well just make sure you turn off the stove before you go to bed. Don’t burn down my shop.”

“Of course not Boss. Have a good night Boss.”

“Have a good night kid.” He hung up and finished off his beer. 

What the hell was his life?

\----------------------------------------------------

It was just a typical Friday for Iwai. Business was slow, just one or two of his regulars coming in for some odds and ends. Not too many sales, but it was enough to keep the lights on, so he’d be grateful for today.

The door tinkled open and in walked a young girl.

Well, look at that.

Munehisa rolled the lollipop in his mouth from one side to the other as he watched her from under the brim of his hat.

The little girl from before was back.

She didn’t have her loudmouth friend in tow this time either.

Good, he wasn’t a fan of that kid. Too loud. Too much talk.

He didn’t offer her a greeting, but she didn’t seem to be offended by his lack of customer service. She bowed softly in his direction, before shuffling into the store, keeping her hands clasped in front of her where he could see them.

Iwai took the time to observe her. She looked to be about Kaoru’s age. She was about his son’s height, maybe a little shorter. She was a skinny little thing though. A strong breeze looked like it would pick her up and take off with her.

Her long black hair was a mess and Iwai had to wonder what kind of high school girl would prefer to spend her time and money here, in an airshop store, instead spending her money getting her hair fixed? If he remembered correctly, she’s spent a decent chunk of money last time she’d dropped by.

She was wearing casual clothing, jeans and a simple grey t-shirt with a black cardigan over it. She carried a heavy looking plain black backpack over one shoulder, every now and then reaching up to adjust the strap.

His gaze slid down lower.

Ehh, decent ass. Kinda boney looking, though.

He sniffed a little and went back to his magazine. 

The hell was he doing? Now he just felt like a dirty old man...

There were a few moments of silence, the occasional scuff of shoes against tile as she wondered and looked at the different model kits he had on display.

“E-excuse me sir?”

“Whaddya want?” He grunted, glancing up from his reading. She was standing in front of his counter now. She had a model hit for one of the newer handguns he’d gotten in. It was a really complicated model, and it cost more than just a few thousand yen.

“I...I uh wanted to get this but I-”

“Let me guess, it’s out of your budget.” He cut her off, getting where she was going before she got there.

The girl shut her mouth and nodded silently. 

“So find a cheaper model, kid. Ain’t my problem if you can’t afford it.”

“I-I can work for it.” She offered leaning forwards, hugging the box to her chest and Iwai felt his eyes go wide as dinner plates. He almost choked on his own spit.

Was this girl for real?

Did she seriously just-?

“Get the fuck outta my store.” He growled sharply, glaring at her sharply.

“I-I’m sorry?” She looked shocked, taking a small step back at the sharpness in his tone. Good.

“I don’t know what kind of dirty old man you take me for, girly, but I don’t operate like that.” Munehisa snarled, slapping his magazine onto the counter top with a thwap.

It was the girls turn to go wide eyed, her face quickly turning a very flushed shade of red.

“T-That wasn’t what I-! I-I would never-!” She denied, tripping over her words in her rush to get them out. “I-I was just offering to work! Like work work! Like Sweep the floors or o-organize stock! I-I would never offer-! I’m not-!”

Iwai relaxed back into his chair and let himself laugh at the situation. It turned into a deep, full belly laugh that had his head falling back as he cackled at the ceiling. Oh man, he hadn’t had a laugh that good in ages!

“Ooh man! Ahahaha!” He laughed, holding his gut. “Ah shit, kid, way to make me feel like a dirty old man after all!”

He had to take a moment to catch his breath, the laughter not wanting to leave him just yet.

“Aha...ahaha...Listen kid, it’s a small store. I don’t really need the help.”

“I...” She started before stopping, looking unsure. Her stuttering was starting to grate on his nerves.

“Out with it.” He barked, snapping his fingers at her impatitly.

“I r-really need a job, please sir!” She bowed deeply at the waist, nearly smacking her head on his counter. 

“I’ve been told that I clean things really well, and I have experience with building models...” She continued softly, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Uh huh.” He grunted, crossing his arms at her. “What kinda experience?”

“M-My father and I used to build model cars and trains. They were his passion. We used to put them together all the time. It was something we did for fun...” Something in her voice changed when she spoke about her father. She sounded warmer.

“You any good?” He had to ask. 

He was just considering it. 

Because something about this girl was ballsy and he thought it was intriguing, nothing else.

“...I put together the three kits that I bought last time over the course of two days...” She mumbled so softly that Munehisa wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

“You put together three different model guns, from box to finish, in forty eight hours? Gotta be quicker than that, kid, though I will admit they were tougher models.”

The girl shook her head a little. “...it was after school and homework... so maybe, closer to ten hours?”

Alright, he would admit that was a little more impressive. “You got pics? Show me.”

The teenager put the model box down, and pulled her phone from her pocket. 

After looking over the pictures she’d taken of her work, he was actually considering, fuck it, he could bring in a part timer to sweep and help out around the store once or twice a week.

If she could consistently put together models like that, that was the kind of talent he just didn’t want to let go of just yet. He sold a ton of model kits yeah, and obviously they sold, but his real money makers were the already built ones.

It sure would save him some time if he could trust someone else to put together model guns for the store while he tried to deal with this damn Tsuda situation.

But that would also mean possibly exposing this girl to said Tsuda situation and did he really want to get anyone else involved? It was his problem, not some random teenagers. 

He’d been expecting to meet up with Tsuda later that day actually, his paper bag with a sample of one of his ‘specifically customized’ guns, proof that he was holding up his end of the deal.

He was just about to tell the girl that, while he thought she had decent talent, he didn’t need any help around the store, he heard something from outside.

Muffled talking, two men. Those voices. It was those damn detectives again! 

Like a magnet his gaze was drawn to the paper bag he had on the counter.

“You know what kid? You're hired.” He decided, thinking quickly. “Want your first job?”

“Y-Yes? T-Thank y-”

He snatched up the paper bag and shoved it into her arms, cutting off whatever it was she’d been trying to say to him.. “Take this with you, and don’t look inside. Bring it back next Friday. We’ll talk then.”

“S-Sir-?” the girl looked confused and she nearly dropped the box for the model gun she wanted as she fumbled with his bag.

“Take it and go.” He growled at her, glaring at her to try and convey how serious he was about this, before the shop bells chimed the two detectives entering his shop.

“Hello Detectives.” He greeted, purposefully not offering them a bow when they entered his

“Iwai Munehisa, yes? There are some matters we would like to discuss with you today.”

“Best leave now, kid.” Iwai grumbled under his breath to the girl, who nodded and stepped aside from his counter, letting the detectives crowd in on his space. He watched as she made for the door, but lingered with her hand on the handle. 

Nosey little brat...

“I suppose you know why we’re here today.” Offered the taller of the detectives, the one in the grey suit. Iwai vaguely recognized him, but he did his best not to remember pigs.

“I dunno, lookin’ for evidence of a crime I’m not committing? You tell me, Detective-san.”

“Watch your attitude!” Snapped the man, slamming his hand on the glass countertop. Well that was going to leave a smudge. And just who would have to clean that up? Ugh what a pain in the ass...

“Are you guys going to search me or what? Do what you gotta do, I don’t care either way.” He sighed, sinking back into his chair.

“What was that?”

“I’m sorry, Detective-san, are upstanding citizens not supposed to cooperate with the cops?” He rolled his lollipop with his tongue, the hard candy clacking against his teeth as he smiled at the cops. Once that damn girl got outta here, he had nothing to hide after all.

The aggressive detective’s buddy sighed, looking to his partner. “Okojo-san, are you sure that lead was legitimate?”

The first detective frowned, shaking his head. “I was sure of it...”

Iwai laughed at the two of them, honestly it was too easy sometimes. “Can you two please hurry it up? I’ve got a business to run if you don’t mind, and you’re scaring away customers.”

He gestured to the girl, hoping that she’d take the fucking hint and leave already, but she just stood nervously by the door, looking like a deer in headlights.

“Hey kid! What’s in the bag huh? Show me!”

“She’s a regular, you wanna check the tapes? She was in here last week.” Iwai defended.

“I...I was just picking up some parts I forgot last time.” The girl offered, back him up on his cover flawlessly.

“If it’s just parts, why won’t you show me what’s in the bag?” The asshole detective pushed and Iwai was about to push him if he didn’t back off soon! Fucking blowhard needed to back off. Too much power for one tiny head.

“Pardon me sir, but unless you have a valid reason to detain me, I believe it’s none of your business.” The girl bowed at the waist and Iwai had to laugh at the stone cold balls on this bitch. 

She busted out the ice queen face and he was almost proud of his new hire.

Guess he’d made the right call.

“I said show it to me you little bitc-”

“Okojo-san, may I remind you that this is a child you are talking to.” Interrupted his partner, sounding much more upset with Okojo than he had previously. “Besides, she’s not the one we’re here to see today, remember?”

“May I kindly ask you to not harass my customers, Detective-san?” He was smiling at him, but he made sure that his tone indicated his level of respect for the detective before him.

Iwai turned to the girl, who was still by the door. Did she need a fucking invitation?

“Have a safe trip home, kid.” He nodded firmly towards the door, and she nodded back, finally opening the door and leaving. 

“Now, Iwai, we’ve been receiving anonymous complaints about your shop.”

“Go on...”

\---------------------

Well that certainly wasn’t how Iwai was expecting his day to go.

He’d have to message Tsuda that they’d have to postpone their next meet up. No point going to see the guy if he had nothing to show him...

Dealing with those detectives was a pain, but it was only a fraction of how bad it could have gone, had that girl not come in so handy.

She’d been useful, he would admit it. Hopefully she could continue to be useful.

It wasn’t until he was locking the door behind him, ready to walk home to his apartment where Kaoru was no doubt waiting for him already, did it occur to him.

He’d hired his first part timer ever, and he hadn’t even learned their name. 

Ain’t that just like him, huh?

“Dad!” Kaoru called out from the living room, “Welcome home!”

“Hey Kiddo.” He called back, shrugging off his coat and hanging it by the door. His hat soon followed.

Once he got his heavy boots off, sitting them next to Kaoru’s runners, he shuffled down the small hallway and into the open living room, dining room and kitchen area. Kaoru was sitting at the coffee table, his homework spread out in front of him, still wearing his school uniform from earlier in the day.

“How was work today?” His son asked, setting his pencil down.

“Ehh, It was fine.” He grunted. He reached out to ruffle his son’s short black hair before he made his way into the kitchen. “Fuck, there’s nothing in the fridge...”

“Language, Dad.”

“Yeah, yeah...” He muttered, closing the fridge and sighing heavily as he pulled out his phone, opening up a delivery app. “Whaddya want for dinner? I’m ordering in.”

“Oh!” Kaoru bounced in his seat, grinning brightly. “Chicken! I want fried chicken!”

Munehisa ordered up some fried chicken for the two of them, and sunk into the couch with a heavy sigh.

“How was school, bud?” He asked, rubbing at his eyes tiredly, suppressing the yawn that tried to claw its way out.

“Good.” Kaoru shrugged, picking up his pencil again. “Urameshi-Sensei got in trouble with Yukimura-Sensei again. It was funny to watch her chase him.”

“Yeah...” He acknowledged, but if he was being honest, he stopped paying attention to whatever his son was saying as his mind drifted off towards what he was going to say to make Tsuda accept the delay...

Uuuughh what a pain in the ass.

He was not looking forward to next week, that was for sure.

\--------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deep inhale*
> 
> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
> 
> Gun Daddy


	11. Chapter 11: Ryuji, Sojiro, Iwai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confession, some coffee time with Bean Daddy, and paying a visit to Gun Daddy

Chapter 11: Ryuji, Sojiro, Iwai

\------------------------------

 **Ann:** The board meeting’s tomorrow right?

 **Ryuji:** We’re gonna get expelled if Kamoshida doesn’t have a change of heart by then...

 **Ann:** He’ll definitely change! It would be a big problem for all of us if he didn’t.

 **Ryuji:** You’re right.

 **Ryuji:** It’s too early to give up now anyway!

 **Ryuji:** Guess we’re gonna find out one way or the other tomorrow.

 **Ryuji:** Still though, gotta brace ourselves for all the possibilities.

 **Akiko:** Morgana says it should work. We’ll have to believe in that.

 **Ryuji:** Blame it on the cat if it all goes wrong? Got it!

 **Ann:** Ryuji, that’s not going to work!

 **Ryuji:** Yeah, but it will make me feel better ;P

 **Ann:** Let’s just try and get some sleep... Good luck you two. I really hope you don’t get expelled tomorrow.

 **Akiko:** Thank you Ann-chan.

 **Ryuji:** Yeah thanks, see ya tomorrow.

The blonde boy closed the text chat from the night before, and yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head. The sun was warm on the back of his neck as he walked to school, several other Shujin students walking in the same direction he was.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep at all the previous night. He’d tried to sleep, but then he just kept tossing and turning, so he ended up playing video games all night to distract himself. Before he knew it, the light was shining in through his bedroom window and birds were chirping outside.

Why did they even need to come in today? Honestly, one day of classes and then they had the rest of the week off, cuz it was Memorial day, Greenery day, and Children’s day one after another. He wasn’t complaining, he just wished it was longer.

“Hey, you remember that thing that happened to Kamoshida-sensei last week?” He heard a student from behind him say. He slowed his pace so that he didn't walk too far ahead.

“Yeah, that calling card thing? No ones actually taking it seriously, are you kidding me?”

“But hasn’t he been absent everyday since?”

“Yeah, I guess, but come on, you actually believe that stuff about stealing his desires or whatever?”

Ryuji lowered his arms and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

They had done it, right? They’d taken that bastard's twisted desires.

They had stolen the Treasure just like the cat said, so it should work...

He ground his teeth and clenched his hands in his pockets. Wasn’t like they could do anything different anyway, the weird app thing said that Kamoshida’s palace didn’t exist anymore.

Ryuji hated not knowing what was coming next, but he’d just have to roll with whatever was to come.

Expulsion or not.

It was all he knew how to do anyway.

\----------

“What’s with the sudden morning assembly?” 

“I bet it’s about that girl who tried to jump the other day.”

“Ugh, Seriously? They don’t have to tell us not to commit suicide, ya know.”

“Is this about that weird calling card? I’ve been so scared for Kamoshida-sensei! I bet the other teachers are freaking too, right?”

“Luck that morning practice got cancelled though.”

As he stood amongst the other students, listening to them mumble to each other, Ryuji couldn’t help but bounce his leg nervously. His arms were crossed tightly across his chest as he glared up at the empty podium.

The anticipation was killing him. What the hell could this assembly possibly be about?

Was it about Suzui? Was it about the calling cards he’d put up? Were they going to announce his and Aki’s expulsion to the whole school? 

Seeing Principal Kobayakawa walk across the stage with a small stack of papers in hand didn’t make Ryuji feel any better. His gut sank and he could feel the sweat building on his forehead.

“Let us begin this school-wide morning assembly.” The Principal began, his voice dull and droning. “As you all well know, a tragic event took place on our school grounds the other day.”

The bonds of anxiety unwrapped from around Ryuji’s lungs and he let out a deep sigh unintentionally. Oh thank god it wasn’t about him or Akiko, it was just about Suzui.

It didn’t take long for the anxiety to be replaced by guilt. She wasn’t just Suzui... she was Suzui Shiho, and she used to be his friend, and she’d been hurt so badly she decided that... that she didn’t have any other option.

He couldn’t imagine...

“Thankfully, we have been informed that she has pulled through, though it will take some time for her to recover full of course.” Kobayakawa continued, “That being said, I want to make it very clear, that everyone here has a bright future ahead of them. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and-”

The sound of gym doors slamming drew all eyes to the far right of the Gym. Ryuji would recognize that ugly mug anywhere.

Kamoshida!?

“K-Kamoshida-sensei! W-what are you-” Kobayakawa stuttered, looking wide eyed and nervous.

Ryuji couldn’t hear what Kamoshida said next, it was mumbled and soft, but the students closest to him started to murmur amongst themselves and like a tidal wave of gossip, the students began whispering frantically.

“Reborn?”

“What does he mean?”

“Confess what?”

“Does this mean the rumors were true?”

“Did the volleyball team do something?”

As the students whispered, Kamoshida marched onto the stage, his face grim and pale, looking like a man approaching the gallows to be hung.

“No way...” He muttered, eyes wide as he watched with bated breath. Was this it? Monamona had said that Kamoshida would confess everything, hadn’t he?

“I have...” Kamoshida began, his voice low and heavy, nothing like the booming roar that normally echoed off the very same walls of the gym they were gathered in.

“I have repeatedly done things that were... unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students... physically abusing my team....and...and sexually harassing female students...”

The gym was silent, much like Ryuji himself, they started in slack jawed aww as this grown man admitted his wrong doings to the whole of Shujin Academy.

“I am the reason that Suzui Shiho tried to kill herself!” He cried, falling to his knees. He looked sick, pale, like whatever food he’d eaten would soon come back up. 

It was like a bomb of whispers went off around him.

“No way!”

“Sexual harassment?!”

“Disgusting!”

“He’s the worst!”

Kamoshida looked out onto the students, his eyes watering under the weight of his own guilt. “I thought of this school, as my own castle. I even threatened to expel several students, simply because they’d caught on to what I was doing, and I didn’t want them around...I have, of course, rescinded those requests.”

Ryuji couldn’t help the startled laugh that escaped his chest. Well, damn, looks like that was taken care of...

Kamoshida sniffled, his voice cracking as he continued. “I am truly sorry for putting innocent students through such horrible acts. I am- an arrogant, shallow and... and shameful person. No...I am worse than that...”

The grin that was starting to climb on Ryuji’s face was uncontrollable. This... this was exactly what he’d always wanted! Ever since he’d gotten here all he’d ever wanted was for people to see the truth about Kamoshida, and now!? His head was spinning, and he wasn’t sure he could get enough air.

Kamoshida threw himself forward across the stage, dramatically bowing towards his students as he cried out, “I will take responsibility and kill myself for it!”

The floor felt like it just vanished under Ryuji’s feet and it took his stomach with it completely.

What? K-Kill himself?! T-That wasn’t- They’d never considered.-!

“Kamoshida-sensei!” Cried the Principal, finally snapping out of his slack jawed stupor. “P-Please get off the stage! Please Kamoshida-sensei!”

“Kamoshida-sensei is not well!” He could hear another faculty member call out, trying to overpower the mummering of the students but it was no use.

“Everyone, return to your classes at once!” Another teacher tried, but the chatter of the students grew louder and louder.

“Don’t run, you bastard!”

Ryuji snapped his head towards Ann. She’d been the one to shout, glaring at Kamoshida with fire in her eyes. It wasn’t the metaverse, but Ryuji could almost feel Carmen’s fire from here.

“Shiho’s still alive, even after everything you did to her that made her want to die!” Ann continued, her voice cutting like a whip, cracking through the air. “You have no right to run from this!”

Kamoshida slowly lifted himself up from his pitiful bow, his arms shaking and tears and snot dribbling down his face. “You’re right... you’re absolutely right....”

He nodded to himself, sitting up full. “I...I should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and atone for my crimes...”

As if just recalling now, Kamoshida looked out towards the students and begane confessing again. “I have also done terrible things to Takamaki-san. I...I held Suzui-san’s position on the volleyball team as leverage over her and...tried to force her into having relations with me...”

“Disgusting.” growled the girl who was standing behind Ryuji, and he had to agree. 

“The rumors were true...”

“Poor Takamaki-san...”

“As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor at this school, and turn myself into the authorities.” Kamoshida promised, his voice steady as he bowed solemnly before crying out, “Someone, please! Call the police!”

“Kamoshida-sensei please! Come off the stage now!”

It took several teachers and the principal, but eventually Kamoshida allowed himself to be dragged off stage, down the steps and out the very same door he’d walked in not moments before.

“T-The police?”

“No way!”

“was he for real!?”

“H-Holy shit...” Ryuji mumbled, feeling dizzy from the roller coaster of emotions that he’d just gone through.

“This morning’s assembly is over! Please return to your class rooms immediately!” A teacher was trying to corral the students out. This was starting to work now, as several teachers were now walking through the crowd of students, trying to herd them towards the doors.

“Does that mean that the calling card thing was real?”

“No way! He probably just got bribed or something.”

“I heard if you confess, they go easier on you in court.”

“Must just be trying to save himself. Prolly got scared when Suzui didn’t die or whatever.”

“What a sick bastard... I kinda wished he had killed himself.”

“No joke, who needs people like him around?”

The murmur of the students got quieter as more and more students were led back to class.

Ryuji managed to hang back, flagging down Ann and Akiko before they got swept out of the gym too.

“His heart really did change.” Ann sighed, starting towards the stage like Kamoshida was still there.

“Seems like it.” He mumbled, remembering the sight of the once powerful man, cowering on the stage, sobbing that he’d take his own life. “Was it really for the best?” He asked aloud, his mouth moving in time with his brain.

Akiko swallowed from behind him. “But...he said he’d turn himself in...”

“That’s true...” He agreed, but he wasn’t sure how much faith he really had in it. Footsteps from beside them had him glancing over. “Huh? What the-?”

What did Mishima want? And why were these girls with him? They were in his year, but he didn’t know they’re names. They were pretty enough, he guessed, their makeup was a little heavy done but what did he know?

“Takamaki-san!” Mishima started, bowing deeply at the waist. “I’m very sorry!”

Ann turned to face Mishima fully, looking confused. “Huh?”

Mishima sighed deeply, twisting his hands nervously. “We...we all knew. But we pretended that we didn’t.”

The girl with the brown hair, the taller one, piped up, also bowering herself. “Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong, I’m so sorry that I spread rumors about you!”

The other girl, the other with the shorter black hair, shook her head sadly. “I didn’t know at all...Kamoshida-sensei was forcefully pushing himself on you...It must have been so hard for you! I’m so sorry you had to go through that!”

The first girl spoke up again, nodding in agreement with her friend. “I’m sure there are a ton of other people who want to apologize to you too! We’re all very sorry!”

Ann didn’t look like she really wanted to hear the apologies though, her face obviously sad as she tried to dismiss them “No, it’s okay. The same goes for me too...Besides, it’s all in the past now.”

A teacher that had come back into the gym to look for stragglers approached them, his dress shoes clacking against the gym floor. “Hey, you there! Return to your classes at once!”

“W-well, see you later then, Takamaki-san.” offered the taller girl, before her and her friend shuffled off, the teacher following after them to make sure they did return to class.

Mishima turned his attention to Akiko, who’d been hanging in the back, keeping her head low. 

“K-Kurusu-chan I...I can’t even begin to apologize for what I did to you.” Mishima mumbled, bowing deeply towards the other black haired student.

“I swear, someday, I’ll make it up to you.” There was a conviction in the other boy’s voice that Ryuji had never heard before, and he almost had to smile. Ryuji’d never seen him look anything other than broken down. This was a nice change for the guy.

Without waiting for a reply, Mishima rose from his bow and turned around, heading out of the gym and back to class.

“Heh...Looks like Kamoshida ain’t the only one whose had a change of heart.” He couldn’t help but observe aloud, rubbing at his nose a little.

When neither girl replied, he reached out and put a hand on Ann’s shoulder, trying to squeeze it comfortingly. “Man, I’m really happy for you. Looks like all weird rumors about you are gonna go away.”

Ann shook her head, brushing off his hand. “My thing doesn’t really matter.” The way she said it was so easy, like the rumors never bothered her to begin with or something. “We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho. That’s more than enough for me.” 

Ryuji offered her a half smile, “You should hurry up and tell her about it then.”

Ann smiled back, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I will. I’ll go see her after school today.”

“We should go to class...before another teacher comes.” Akiko mumbled from behind them, and quickly the three second year students rushed out of the gym and towards the doors of the practice building, running quietly up the stairs towards the second floor. Ann and Akiko went to their respective class, and Ryuji did his best to sneak into his seat unspotted.

By some alignment in the stars, Chuno-sensei had her back turned, as she wrote something on the chalkboard, so Ryuji slipped along the back of the class towards his desk, sliding into his chair and doing his very best to pay attention for the rest of the day. 

It was impossible though, his mind was just replaying the events of the gym over and over like a video stuck on loop in his mind.

It was going to be a very long monday.

\------------

“I totally freaked out!” He sighed, leaning back in his chair on the roof, tilting it back so he could watch the clouds slowly laze across the sky. “He really did have a change of heart!”

He lifted his feet, so the front of the chair would slam back down, a wild grin on his face as he leaned forward with the momentum. “AND! We were lucky that his mind didn’t get all messed up either! This was an A+ job for us!”

Akiko sat silently on his right, looking lost in thought. She was also sitting in a chair, though all four of her chair legs remained on the ground.

Morgana, who was standing on the desks staring down at the gold medal, his tail flicking back and forth. “So this means that they won’t have a mental shut down, even if their palace disappears...hmmm.. I get it. So we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it, and then send it back to its real self. That’s how we make sure our targets don’t suffer a cognitive collapse!”

Ryuji wasn’t sure he followed that, so he summarized what he understood. “So, we can get ‘em to confess with no bad stuff happenin’?”

When Morgana sighed and nodded, He laughed and cried out. “Well shit! That works for me!”

Ann sighed loudly as she approached, when did she get on the roof? He hadn’t heard the door... 

“Do you have to be so loud?” She complained, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she gave him a hard look.

“Ehh don’t worry about it!” He dismissed her easily, jumping to what was really important. “So, how’d it go? With Shiho, I mean...”

Ann had left school during lunch, claiming it was too stressful for her to be in today. She was let go without a fuss, and had gone straight to the hospital according to her messages. 

Ann smiled brightly, her whole face lighting up. “She’s awake! Shiho’s regained consciousness!”

“Wait seriously!? That’s awesome!” Ryuji cheered, jumping to his feet, fists pumping in excitement.

“Congratulations, Ann-chan.” Akiko smiled gently, standing herself and bowing gently in the other girls direction. “I’m so happy for you.”

Ann smiled back, but her face quickly morphed into tears and she sunk down into a squat, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.

“I-It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her... I got to talk to Shiho again.” She whimpered, trying to control her tears, using the back of her hand to rub at her face.

Ryuji was frozen in a panic. What did he do? Girl crying! Girl! Crying! Ahh!

“I-I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did.” She whimpered out, and slowly, hesitantly, Akiko moved towards her, gently placing a hand on the crying girls back, rubbing in soft circles. Ryuji shuffled closer, but didn’t immediately offer to touch the other girl. He didn't want to crowd her or do something wrong.

Ann sniffled and slowly rose to her feet again, Akiko helping her with a steady hand.

“S-Shiho, she... She told me she was sorry.” Ann was able to get out before the tears started again in a new wave. “Sh-She found out that I’d been flirting with Kamoshida for her sake...”

Ann laughed, it was shaky and wet, and Ryuji reached out to rub her shoulder. “I wanted to apologize to her...” She mumbled weakly, leaning into the comforting touches of her new friends.

“Kamoshida’s the one to blame, Lady Ann. He’s the only one at fault.” Morgana offered from the table, unable to do much else.

“I...I know...” Ann sighed, rubbing at her face to dry it from tears. “S-Shiho’s mom is thinking of transferring her to another school once she recovers.”

What?

“The whole... Sexual harassment and attempted suicide... people will label here after that. It... It sounded like Shiho had the same idea too.” Ann sounded so disheartened and bitter about it, but Ryuji had to agree...that wasn’t something that you could just easily walk off... He knew a part of what it was like to be labeled and judged by others. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to get out, he'd wanted to do it so many times himself... but at the same time-

“It’s gonna be lonely here...” He muttered, knowing that Ann was going to miss her friend. Those two had practically been glued to the hip there.

“Yeah but....I think it’s for the best.” Ann sighed heavily. “I’m sure it’ll be hard on Shiho if she stays here.”

“But she’s alive!” Ryuji reasoned, trying to find the bright side. “You can go see her anytime!”

“High school is only three years, and we're in year two now...” Akiko offered gently. “You could always go to university together...”

Ann nodded a look of... something, sliding over her face. “I need to change too.” She muttered to herself, a deep conviction in her voice that he hadn’t heard since the palace. Speaking of....

Ryuji shook his head, smiling. “So, we never really talked about it, but I’m surprised that you were able to hold yourself back against him shadow. I was sure you were going fry him to a crisp there!”

“It wasn’t that...” Ann admitted, looking down at the medal, glaring at it like it was a poisonous snake. “I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself...”

“You’re so kind, Lady Ann.” Morgana practically purred, looking up at the blond girl like she hung the moon in the sky or something.

Ryuji rolled his eyes a little, but he had to admit, that was pretty noble of her. “No matter how much of a shitbag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?”

Ann frowned at him, “Huh? No, it’s not like that.” She smiled coldly, and Ryuji didn’t like the chill that ran down his spine as she growled out, “I think revenger is better served if I make him repent. Now, he’s going to spend the rest of his life groveling for forgiveness. That’s a better ending for him than death. Death is too quick for scumblile him.”

“H-Holy shit.” Ryuji stuttered, unable to hide his wide eyed fear, glancing between Akiko, who for some reason seemed unfazed?! She was nodding in agreement with Ann?! 

At least Morgana who thankfully looked as wide eyed as Ryuji did, but it was hard to tell, he was a cat!

“A-Anyway. T-That’s all settled.” He coughed, so ready to move away from the scary conversation with scary women being scary. Too scary.

“But you know, there was something I was wonderin’ about that castle...” He looked over to Morgana, locking eyes with the cat.

“Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that metaverse thing?” he had to know, what made that dirt bag so special?

Morgana shook his head, “He’s not. A palace in the metaverse isn’t limited to just one man. It’s something that could happen to anyone, if their heart became warped enough from their desires.”

“Anyone...” Ann muttered in disbelief, looking overwhelmed. Ryuji was right there with her. So, every shitty adult had one? Or just the extra nasty ones?

How many palaces were there?

Where they going to go to them too?

“Wanna check it out?” Morgana purred, his tail flicking happily.

“N-Not right now.” Ryuji interjected. “We might wanna lay low for a while... People are still gonna be talkin’ about Kamoshida.” 

But then he thought about it for a moment and continued “Then again, it is totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his palace!”

“Yeah about that-” Ann cut him off, looking uncomfortable. “Weird rumors are going around about you two already. Stuff like you got together and threatened Kamoshida with blackmail.”

“Blackmail!?”

“They’re-” Ann cut herself off, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t want to say...”

“What?! What are they saying that’s so bad?!”

And whatever it was, why hadn’t Ryuji heard of it!?

Ann looked between him and Akiko nervously before caving. “Stuff like... Akiko s-seduced Kamoshida-sensei, and Ryuji took photos to blackmail him.”

What?

WHAT?!

He felt sick, as images of Kamoshida covering Akiko's small frame with his large body flashed into his mind unwelcomed. 

“AURGH! GROSS!” He cried, reeling back. He shook his head frantically, trying to banish the images from his mind.

“I-I wouldn’t-!” Akiko protested, sounding just as upset as he was. “T-That’s not-! Never! I would never!”

Ann sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I mean... people aren’t going to easily believe that phantom thieves really exist, let alone change hearts. The calling card is being treated like a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was really doing.”

That-!

That was-!

Ryuji sighed. “That makes sense...” He conceded, sinking back into his chair with a thump. “I mean, we’re the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself...”

He hated it, he really hated it, but he understood.

Ann leaned against the desk that had the medal on it. “Let’s wait for things to settle down, for the time being."

Speaking of that medal...

Ryuji fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled open the search bar. “Anyways, Let’s check and see how much this baby can be sold for. We should probably pawn it off ASAP.”

It didn’t take long for him to find something similar in appearance to what they had. “Oh! Got a hit!”

He clicked the link and waited for it to load, his jaw dropping when he saw the price listed. No way? Was it missing a few zeros?

“Thirty thousand yen!?” He cried, going to refresh the page. “That’s all a gold medal’s worth!?”

Ann was suddenly leaning into his personal space, smiling and twirling her hair around her finger. “Heeey, Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money~”

He pushed her away, rolling his eyes at her behavior. “Ain’t no way I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!”

Ann innocently brought a finger up to her lips in mock-thought. “Wouldn’t it be around that much with compounded interest?”

“Interest my ass!” 

“Come on!” Ann laughed, swatting at his arm. “It’s your fault for not paying me back all these years, that’s just common sense!”

Ryuji rolled his eyes, not validating it with a verbal reply other than some grumbling under his breath. He’d pay her back the maybe two hundred yen he owed her. Later.

Morgana laughed a little, sitting down and licking at the back of his paws. “I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However-” His blue eyes gleamed. “You dragged me into this, and in my opinion, it would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission.”

Ryuji smiled. A celebration huh? 

“I guess we could blow this dirty money on something fun.”

“Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?”

“H-Hey wait!” Ann protested, before sighing. “Nah, I guess it’s fine. There’s somewhere I want to go though, if we’re going out for food to celebrate.”

“Where’s that?” Ryuji asked. He was fine with anything really, just as long as he didn’t have to get dressed up or something stupid.

“This place that Shiho and I have been waiting to go to for a while now.” Ann offered, smiling brightly about it.

“I owe money so...I guess I can’t complain about it.” Ryuji sighed, hopefully they’d serve some good meat at least. He looked over to Akiko, who’d been silent for awhile now.

“You good with that?”

Akiko nodded gently, not offering a verbal reply. 

It was enough for Morgana who purred, “Then it’s your discretion, Lady Ann.”

“I’ll call and check the prices later then.” Ann nodded.

Ryuji bounced a little on his heels, the excitement of a plan starting to build in his gut. “Ooh, When should we go? Wanna do it soon? Tomorrow?”

“Why not... on the last day of the holidays?” Ann suggested, fiddling with her hair. “It'll help energize us for when school life starts up again the day after.”

“So... the Fifth? On Children’s day?” Thursday if he remembered correctly.

Ann and Akiko nodded, before once again Ann spoke up. “So, who's gonna be incharge of selling this?”

Morgana’s ears twitched as he chimed in. “Leave that to us! We know a store that’ll buy anything! Right Akiko?”

Akiko tilted her head to the side, like she was confused for a moment before Ryuji saw the light bulb go off, her mouth forming a small o shape, before she smiled a little and nodded.

“Well, okay! I’ll leave it to you guys then!” Ann smiled.

Not long after they said good night for the evening and parted ways at the station.

They hadn’t gone into the Metaverse at all today, but Ryuji still felt exhausted once he walked in the front door. He dragged himself to bed and was asleep before he knew it, dinner completely forgotten about until now.

\-----------------

He woke up to his phone vibrating in his pocket. It was the group chat,

Yawning, he unlocked his phone and pulled up the chat log.

 **Ann:** I forgot to ask. Is that gold medal even real? How did it get inside his palace?

 **Akiko:** Kamoshida should still have the real one.

 **Akiko:** Morgana said this one is the byproduct of his cognition.

 **Akiko:** Still real gold though. Should get something for it.

 **Ryuji:** So, wait, Kamoshida still has a medal?

 **Ann:** Who cares? What matters is that we changed his heart.

 **Ann:** And besides, if we had taken the real thing, that would be stealing!

 **Ann:** I don’t think he'd be proud of that medal anymore, regardless.

Ryuji could differently understand that. He looked over to the old dust covered trophy on his shelf. He’d thrown it out too many times to count, but always ended up fishing it back out of the trash...

He hated those stupid things, but at the same time, he'd worked so hard for them, he couldn't just throw away years of his life like that... Even if it was painful to look at somethings.

 **Ryuji:** You let go of stuff pretty easy, huh? Wanna forget about my debt? :D

 **Ann:** That’s different!

 **Ann:** Five hundred yen is a lot of money for a middle schooler!

 **Ann:** Do you even still have that Dolphin? 

**Akiko:** Dolphin?

Ryuji felt his face heat up bright red, flushed and hot as he quickly typed, fingers fumbling nervously.

 **Ryuji:** Stop dragging it up!

 **Ann:** Back in middle school, we went on a field trip to an aquarium.

 **Ryuji:** Ann! Please!

 **Ann:** But Ryuji just had to spend all of his money on a souvenir, so I lent him some for the train fare home.

He could remember it pretty clearly. He'd seen the plush dolphin in the gift shop as they were shuffling out. It was blue grey, and soft to the touch. It would be perfect for making his mom happy! She'd had a really bad week at work, having to work a couple extra shifts to cover his cost of the trip.

She'd cried when he'd given her the stupid plushy, and hugged him tight...

It had started off sad, but it was one of his favorite memories of him and his mom.

 **Ryuji:** I said I was sorry!

 **Ryuji:** It was a gift for my mom, okay?

 **Ann:** Well, I guess I can call it even after everything we’ve all been through. ;)

 **Ryuji:** Thank you.

 **Ryuji:** Anyway, keep us posted on selling the medal okay?

 **Akiko:** Got it.

Ryuji checked the time, saw that he’d only been napping for an hour or so, so he plugged in his phone and got changed into comfy clothes. Time to make some dinner and watch TV until his mom came home.

Out of curiosity, he opened the door to his mom’s room and looked inside. There, resting against the pillows and looking like it had seen better days, was Iruka-san. The plush dolphin he’d bought his mom all those years ago. She still slept with it every night, and often teased him that it was her favorite present ever.

Dolphins had always been her favorite animal, after all. He could still remember being a little kid, sitting in her arms as they watched documentaries on TV about the marine mammals for hours.

He smiled and closed the door, heading into the kitchen.

Time to make some dinner!

\------------------------------

‘Well damn,’ Sojiro thought to himself, as he kicked his feet up on the wooden bar of the seat next to him, twisted in his seat to face the TV and watch the news. ‘This is already looking pretty much close to perfect.’

He hadn’t moved in almost half an hour, having tasked his ward and new part time hire with cleaning the dishes and tidying the kitchen up while they waited for customers.

Akiko was hard at work, sleeves rolled up to her elbows and she diligently washed every inch of every plate, cup, and utensil. She’d been working quietly ever since she’d opened with him this morning, and it was almost getting time for lunch. They’d had a small morning coffee rush, but Sojiro knew the neighborhood to know that they would most likely get a late lunch rush, so he could relax for a moment or two longer.

“Just recently, a high school coach confessed at an assembly that he’d been repeatedly abusing students, both physically, and sexually.” Sojiro looked up from his crossword, to catch a glimpse of the lowlife's face. 

‘What a disgusting excuse for a man.’ Sojiro though, shaking his head.

The male newscaster continued with the story, the imagines changing to the outside of a startlingly familiar high school. The name of the sign was blurred out, but the uniforms of the students walking out... that staircase leading up, that entryway... He’d only just been there a couple weeks before, and he saw that uniform every single day as it walked down from his attic!

“Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has, of course, caused quite a stir. It has even been reported that his heinous actions are what lead a female student here to attempt to take her own life, just a few weeks ago. Sources close to the student say she wished to remain anonymous, and is recovering well thanks to the support of family and friends.”

Sojiro felt the pencil drop out of his hand, rolling off the newspaper and onto the floor. He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.

“Many have speculated, just what caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess his crimes, to his entire school no less? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question.”

“That’s Shujin.” He said, pointing at the screen, as it flashed back to the school. “That’s your high school.” 

It wasn’t so much a question, as it was a statement, but Sojiro was still trying to fully comprehend. 

Akiko looked up to the screen to see that they were now interviewing a male student in a uniform. He was a second year like her, given the two on his lapel. It only showed him from the neck down, his face off screen.

“My friends would come back from practice all the time with bruises. It was never ending...It was so scary, but, I’m so relieved that the abuse is finally going to end.”

The screen cut to another student, a female one, wearing the same uniform as Akiko, also wearing black tights. “H-He would touch me and s-stuff all the time. Like my back, or...” She cut herself, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. “I’m just glad that I don’t have to deal with the sexual harassment anymore...”

A third student, another girl, but this time a 3rd year. Her long brown hair could be seen fluttering just past her shoulders, where they cut off her face for annonyinty. 

“There were always rumors, sure, but not many people ever believed them. I’m just totally shocked they were actually true! I guess I can be relieved that I don’t have to worry at school anymore.”

Sojiro stood up, setting his newspaper aside.

“The hell kinda school were they running there?” He asked, disgusted that a teacher, someone who worked with children all day and was supposed to help mold them into adults for society, was abusing his power for his own selfish gain like that.

“...At least he’s gone now.” Akiko mumbled, returning to her dish scrubbing.

Sojiro gave her a hard look, pointing a finger at her as he spoke. “Things might be turbulent at school, but you need to just keep your head down, alright?”

He was getting to be an older man, it had been too many years since high school than he’d care to admit, but he could still remember what the kids were like.

If she stood out, made waves, made herself a target, was basically anything other than a silent shadow in the corner, she’d be destroyed.

The girl in front of him swallowed and nodded and Sojiro was suddenly struck with a thought.

She was a quiet kid.

She was new to the school and didn’t have a lot of friends.

Her future at that school had been... on a tight leash so to speak, and the whole faculty knew it. 

The whole faculty knew that that school was her last chance for a good future...

“Kid... that teacher... he didn’t- I mean, Did he ever-?”

“Boss?” Akiko asked, looking up at him from her dishes. She looked concerned and he wanted to laugh at the situation. Here he was worried out his mind so much that he couldn’t get words out, and she was worried about him?

“Akiko.” He cleared his throat. “I... I know I’m kind of a hard ass sometimes but, regardless, I’m still your guardian right now.” 

She stood up straighter, looking pale.

Shit he didn’t like how that twisted his gut.

“If that teacher made.... advances towards you-”

“He didn’t.” She cut him off sharply, turning away from his gaze and back to her dishes. “Kamoshida-sensei never touched me, Boss. I promise.”

Well, that was certainly more... firm than he was expecting. 

“Akiko...”

“Boss, I promise.” She reiterated. “He never touched me.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He had no reason not to believe her, and before he could push it further the doorbell chimed.

That lunch rush he’d been expecting had started.

Time to get to work, he supposed. His real work, not playing parent to any skinny long haired wayward girl he happened to pick up and take into his home.

It ended up being a bigger lunch rush than he’d anticipated, and while he’d liked to have time to get Akiko to make her first cup of coffee, he didn’t have time for learning mistakes today.

For three hours he had a steady flow of families and older couples, small groups coming fairly regularly.

It was a longer day than he’d really anticipated, but the numbers were looking pretty darn good come closing, so he couldn’t complain.

He’d handled the books again, Akiko cleaning the store thoroughly, when he’d left, she was reading at the bar, the lights dimmed and the TV off.

He’d wished her good night and left.

By the time he’d made it home, today’s conversation was pushed to the back of his mind, already planning ahead for tomorrow.

It was bound to be just as busy as today after all, and he wanted things to go just a little smoother.

\-----------

It was odd not to see Akiko up and about when he entered the store, but paid it no mind. It was technically her holiday, the teen was allowed to sleep in a little bit.

He was a little taken aback when she did make her way down the stairs, dressed like she was going to go out. She was dressed in her plain jeans and a simple white shirt, but she had a cardigan overtop and her black backpack was slung over her shoulder.

“Ah- you going out?” He asked, “Could I ask you to do the dishes before you go?”

Akiko didn’t hesitate to put the backpack down, setting it gently on one of the chairs, her cardigan soon to follow.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” He sighed, as he got working on his blends for the day.

The doorbell jingled and in walked a woman in a suit. She had a confident air about her, and if Sojiro were maybe ten years younger he might have made an advance towards her. She was a gorgeous young woman, her hair gently flowing down her back,

“Welcome.” He greeted with a nod.

She nodded and slipped into the first available bar seat. She probably just wanted a coffee before she went to work.

Before she could order, however her attention, and subsequently his own, was caught by the newscaster on the TV

“The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day has still not been found. Police are rushing to find the cause, as it may be related to the other cases of sudden mental breakdowns.”

“That’s that thing’s everyone’s been talking about.” He mumbled to himself, shaking his head. Just what was the world coming to.

“Doesn’t it make you curious?” The woman asked, her brow pinched in thought. “People like you or I, living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue. And they’ve been happening in frequent succession... could it truly all be coincidental?”

“Hmm.” He hummed in thought. Odd woman. She must work for either the police or the government, she was more invested in this than anyone else who’d come into his shop.

She gave him government vibes, he’d seen her type too much at his last job. Cut throat career women, who wouldn’t let anyone stand in their way, and step on whoever they had to, while wearing heels.

“Leaving that aside, what’ll you have?” He asked, because regardless of what kind of woman she was or who she worked for, she was here for either his coffee or his curry, and it was his job to provide it.

“The house blend, please.” She nodded, and he got to work brewing her coffee.

She turned her attention to Akiko, who was still washing the dishes.

“A part-timer?” She asked, before adding, “I’m surprised this place can afford one.”

“Uhh well, no, not exactly...” Sojiro admitted, crossing his arms uncomfortably. It wasn’t exactly like he was paying her any money.

“Are you a highschool student? Where do you attend?” She asked Akiko directly, ignoring Sojiro’s fumbling.

Akiko turned around from washing her dishes and bowed a little to the women before answering. “Shujin academy, Ma’am.”

The woman smiled a little, her face softening. “Oh? Someone I know goes there as well.” She frowned a little, before adding. “I’ve heard that things are rough there right now.”

Akiko didn’t reply, so the woman continued.

“A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes...like he was a completely different person, supposedly. Out of the blue, with no warning... Could a person’s mental state really change so easily?”

“You’re drink.” Sojiro interrupted, sliding her coffee in front of her gently.

“Thank you.”

The three sat in the silence of the cafe, the TV filling the air with noise so they didn’t have to.

It didn’t take long for Akiko to finish with the dishes, and he waved her off. He wasn’t paying her, she could go do other things. It would be annoying not to have her help today, she’d really been a big help the day before, but it was his cafe, and his responsibility and he’d been running it for years without her, so, it was fine.

He wouldn’t miss her help.

He wouldn’t.

He was fine.

\------------------------------

“It ain’t friday yet, kid.” 

Munehisa glared up at the girl who was back in his shop, only three days after their last encounter.

“I... I didn’t come about the...the bag.” The way she hesitated to say bag. He knew the little brat and peeked inside, then and there.

Well, he couldn’t really blame her, he’d have done the same thing too. He at least hoped that she was smart enough to wait until she got home to look inside, and hadn’t peeked in public.

He remained silent, staring down the girl to see if he could make her sweat. She fidgeted nervously under his gaze, but slowly slid her backpack off her shoulder and slipped a hand inside, fishing around for something.

What the hell was she reaching for?

A weapon?

A knife?

A gun?

He started to reach for the baseball bat he kept under the counter when a flash of something shiny caught his eye.

“I was hoping that you could buy this from me.”

He wasn’t expecting a gold medal of all things.

The hell was some skinny little teen doing with this? No way she was an athlete.

“We don’t buy fake or stolen goods here, kid.”

There was no other explanation for how she had that. It was massive even! What high school was giving out olympic style medals?

...

...

...

Wait a god damned minute.

Olympic medal.

High school.

Hadn’t he just heard something about that on the news the other day? Hadn’t some Olympic medalist teacher been abusing his students at some school? His highschool? And wasn't this kid a teenager, lookin' about high school age?

“Lemme see that.” He snarled, snatching the medal from the girl's hand. She let him take it without protest.

It wasn’t overly shiny, just a soft sparkling yellow, just like real gold should be. He pulled out a jeweler's magnifying glass from his pocket and checked out the stamp on the back. The tiny stamp read 24k, clear as day. 

Well he’ll be damned...

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a 100 yen coin, tapping it against the side of the medal.

A long, high pitched ringing sound followed.

He sighed and stood up, setting the medal aside. 

“I’m just...not going to ask where you got this.”

He already had his suspensions, and he certainly didn’t want to know the finer details.

“How’s thirty thousand yen sound for it?” He offered with a sniff, deciding to offer his ‘employee’ a decent deal for it.

“P-Perfect!” The girl beamed and bowed at the waist. “T-Thank you for doing business with me, Sir!”

“Yeah yeah, stop your stuttering, you're givin’ me a headache.” He muttered, kneeling down to open his safe up. It was hidden under his counter, behind a false wall within the cupboard.

He quickly handed her the cash and tossed the medal into the safe. He knew some folks he could pawn that off to for twice as much down the line, so it was worth it for now.

“I didn’t catch your name last time, kid.”

“O-oh!” She flushed, turning pink in the cheeks before nodding her head at him in a short bow. “Kurusu Akiko, ready to work whenever you need me, sir!”

“Heh.” He laughed a little at her enthusiasm. “Akiko huh? Well, you can call me Iwai. No need for that all that Sir, shit. We don’t keep things formal here, I can’t stand formalities.”

“Y-Yes Iwai sir, I mean-!” She cleared her throat a little before continuing. “T-Thank you... Iwai...”

“So, I take it you peeked in the bag.”

Her thin face paled quickly and Akiko raised her hands defensively. “I-I uh... I’m sorry...”

He sighed and jerked his head towards the door to his ‘Office’.

“Let’s go talk about it in the back.”

Akiko nodded and the two shuffled into his storage closet with a work bench and a computer for doing emails with clients and running the website. The walls were lined with shelves full of boxes upon boxes of old models, new models, damaged boxes he couldn’t sell, items to go out for shipping, and massive boxes of bulk supplies.

Iwai sank into the only chair, leaving the girl to stand with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, standing between him and the door. She kept her distance from him, keeping her back practically to the wall.

Smart girl. She was making it easier for her to run away from him, if she needed to. He had no intention of hurting her, or any other high school girl, but he admired how smoothly she was handling this.

“What you saw in the bag was a custom gun that I modified to make it look as real as possible.” He sighed, deciding that a partial truth would be easier to maintain than an outright fabrication. “I had a customer who was interested in it.”

He gave the girl a little smirk, watching her from underneath the brim of his hat. “You really helped me out by smugglin’ it outta here when those detectives came round. You’re my accomplice now, so don’t you do snitchin’. Everything that goes on here, I got on my security camera.”

“T-that’s fine.” Akiko said, and he was shocked by how easy her tone was. “I... I’m really interested in guns, d-did you have any more I could see? O-or maybe buy?”

“Huh....” He grunted, giving this girl a look over once again. She couldn’t be more than five foot six tall, maximum, and he had trouble believing that she weighed more than hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. Her legs were skinny, her feet slightly pigeon toed. Her small, delicate hands were twisting nervously in front of her, her index fingers locking and unlocking over and over as she fidgeted under his gaze. Her long raven coloured hair was impossibly messy. Wavy curls knotted and frayed, stickin out every which way, frizzy ends that seemed to be sentient and rebelling in their prison.

This kid was into guns?

“Just who the hell are you?” He had to know.

What was this girl's deal?

“I... I told you, I’m Kurusu Akiko.” The girl replied in a soft voice before adding. “And I’m a gun enthusiast.”

“At your age?” He asked, disbelieving.

“It’s like I said...” Akiko mumbled, looking down. “It’s something my Dad and I used to do together... build models that is. He liked any kind of model. Cars, trains, houses... but the guns were his favorite. They were the most complicated, and the more complicated the more rewarding it was to put it together...”

“Your old man sounds like my kinda guy, kid.” Iwai grunted.

“T-Thank you, I-Iwai sir.... He and my mother passed away when I was young, so... building models brings me closer to him in a way...” Akiko smiled softly at him, the pull of her lips not quite meeting her warm grey eyes.

Oh god, tug at his fucking heart strings any hard, why don’t you kid? At least she didn't cry. He might just have to quit right then and there if she started to cry on him.

“Well how can I say no to that...” He sighed with a grumble before sighing heavily, standing to his feet.

“You’re a strange one, kid.” He laughed a little, before taking a step closer to her. “Sure kid, I’ll help you out, but you better have the money for it. Those things are worth hundreds of thousands of yen per unit.”

Munehisa smirked a little and leaned forward, getting into her space a tad. “Sometimes, they can even reach the millions, depending on how I feel.”

Come on kid, last chance to run screaming from here. 

Last chance to realize that she was getting wrapped up in stuff that was too deep for her and bail.

‘Run kid, run if you’re smart.’

The girl thought for a moment, worrying at her lower lip for a second before she replied. “...T-this sounds suspicious, sir...”

“Is that right?” He grunted, before leaning back a bit, staring at the teenager before him. “Look, I ain’t a bad dude. I know how to compromise. Example...”

He raised a hand, gesturing around his office. “You help me out with my....business. Ya know... smugglin’ goods, destroyin’ evidence...and as a reward, I’ll let you see the special menu. Employee discount and everything.”

The Teenager before him was staring up at him with wide, grey eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely due to his proximity, he was in her personal space a little, and she seemed to be holding her breath.

“Well? Whaddya say? Not bad, huh?”

Akiko swallowed softly before she replied in a weak and fluttery voice. “G-Great deal...perfect deal...”

He laughed a little and retreated from her personal space, taking two steps back and sitting in his chair.

“This works out great for me.” Iwai grunted to himself. “Gotta fight evil with evil after all, so I need a pawn of my own...”

“S-Sir?” Akiko asked, her voice not as flustered as it was before.

“Don’t talk to no one about this, got it? Just follow my orders.” He barked, and for a moment he was back in time, still in those flashy suits, smoking with his fellow Yakuza members.

“Well kid? You gonna take my deal, or not?”

Akiko nodded, her hair flopping about with her frantic head movements. “I’ll do what I can, Iwai sir.”

“That’s all I can ask now, ain't it?” He huffed, smirking to himself. “Give me a bit to work on it, it’s a growing list, but you have access to my special menu now kid. Enjoy it.”

He smiled and bit into his lollipop, breaking it with a sharp crack.

This was getting interesting.

\-------------------------------------


	12. Chapter 12: Ann, Ryuji.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Celebration and the forming of a team.

Chapter 12: Ann, Ryuji.

\-------

Ann was running late.

A quick glance at her phone told her that it was five after noon, and she was supposed to be there already.

The train slowed to a stop, and as soon as the doors opened Ann practically ran out of the car, darting towards the stairs. 

She hated to be late, but it wasn’t her fault! Her eyeliner didn’t want to cooperate today, and she’d had a hell of a time picking out an outfit cute enough for the Wilton Hotel buffet. She’d almost left the building, but Hiroto, her buildings security guard stopped to talk with her about the news report he’d seen about Kamoshida. It was really sweet of him to worry, but it had made her run even more behind than she already was.

As she made it to the top of the stairs, she looked about, knowing that it was most likely that Ryuji and Akiko were already waiting at the spot they’d chosen to meet up.

Ann was surprised to see just Akiko though, standing against a concrete pillar looking at her phone. The other girl was dressed very plainly. A simple pair of jeans, a plain white t-shirt, paired with a simple black cardigan, and black and white sneakers. She hadn’t even done anything different with her hair.

Ann hadn’t done anything different with her own hair, to be fair, but she’s put an effort into her look today. She had matched her red high tops with her lettermans jacket. She’s picked a short, tight white summer dress, with black leggings underneath. To add another layer for both fashion and function, it was still cold outside, was a pale blue button up top that she’d done all the way to cover her collar bones from the cool spring wind. She’d picked large red earrings to pop and had done her makeup a little more around the eyes than she normally did. She’d picked a soft peach tone in the corners, making her blue eyes really stand out.

Ann wondered when the last time the raven haired girl had had a haircut, it was kind of out of control. Ann’s hands itched to reach out and at least try and run her fingers through her hair, to try and comb it into some sense of a style.

“Aki-chan, hey!” Ann greeted with a smile, waving and walking forward.

It didn’t really matter, she supposed. Akiko was her friend regardless of her appearance, so it wasn’t Ann’s place to say anything, or even really judge her. Akiko had every right to make her own choices about her own appearance, and if she wanted help, she knew that Ann would totally be there for a girls day at the salon together, right?

“Hello Ann-chan.” Akiko greeted formally, bowing a little, which just made Ann laugh and wave a dismissive hand.

“You don’t have to be so formal.” She giggled, before asking. “Ryuji not here yet?”

Akiko shook her head a little, looking back down to the phone in her hands. “He messaged me a bit ago, he slept in. He’s on his way, he’s just a little late.”

“Okay then!” Ann smiled, and moved next to Akiko, leaning on the pillar beside her. “We’ll wait together!”

Akiko nodded silently, slipping her phone into her back pocket.

The two stood there in an awkward silence, the chatter of people going by around them nothing but a multi-toned hum that buzzed in the air.

“So Aki-chan!” Ann started, unable to stand the silence for too long. “Shiho mentioned that she spoke to you at school the other day!”

Akiko looked at Ann, her grey eyes blinking owlishly behind her glasses before she nodded a little with a ‘MmHmm. “...She told me not to worry about the rumors.”

Ann smiled and sighed. “That’s just like Shiho. She’s so kind...”

Shiho didn’t have to worry about others, she had her own problems to deal with, but she wasn’t the type to let others suffer. That was just one of the many things Ann loved about Shiho. She was so kind and compassionate...

“You know, when I first came to Japan, I didn’t have any friends.” She admitted. “I guess it was a bunch of different things... the way I look, the way I was taller than the other girls, maybe it was my accent or the fact that I felt like I was stepping into a whole new world here...”

Everyone seemed too cold and distant. Nobody smiled at her when she smiled at them. There were so many people and they all moved so quickly to get where they wanted to go, Ann had felt like a tumbled leaf in a river, just being swept away by it all with no control.

Then Shiho happened.

“Shiho... she was my first friend.” Ann smiled. “We were in art class one day, and she just walked up to me and said ‘Takamaki-san, your painting is really terrible.’” She raised the pitch of her voice, and softened it, doing a fairly accurate impression of her friend if she said so herself.

She could still remember it. Shiho had just spoken without thinking, and she’d quickly turned red and tried to apologize, but Ann was laughing too hard to let her.

“...was it really so bad?” Akiko asked, and Ann couldn’t stop that laugh that escaped her mouth.

“It was so bad! It was so bad that I don’t even want to call it a painting because that’s an insult to artists.” Ann laughed, and was delighted to hear Akiko giggle softly next to her.

“It was so bad that Shiho just couldn’t help herself! She had to tell me just how badly I sucked at art, and we were best friends ever since, I just loved her honesty.” Ann continued, very happy to talk about the good memories with Shiho. “And her humor. And her kindness. And her talents...”

Ann let herself trail off with a sappy sigh. She loved everything about Shiho, there were simply too many things to list in a single day.

“Shiho-san is very lucky... to have a friend like you, Ann-chan.”

Ann looked over at Akiko, who was avoiding her gaze and starting at the floor. Ann could see that her cheeks were turning a little red.

“You think so?” Ann asked, feeling herself flush at the compliment, “I kind of think it's the other way around. I’m so, so lucky to have her in my life.”

It was a miracle that Shiho was still alive, and Ann would do her best to make sure that Shiho would understand how much that meant to her.

She hadn’t had a moment alone with Shiho since she’d woken up from her coma, Shiho’s mother practically glued to her side, but once she did have the opportunity, she’d tell her just how much she meant to her.

She would tell Shiho she loved her.

Ann was brave enough now, she realized. 

She was brave enough to be honest with Shiho.

“Thanks Aki-chan!” Ann smiled brightly, turning to the slightly smaller woman at her side. “You’re so easy to talk to.”

She'd helped Ann through an epiphany without even knowing!

“Yo! There you guys are!” Ryuji’s voice cut through the conversation like a brick. His boisterous voice echoed off the wall and drew a few disapproving gazes from people around them.

He was jogging towards them, oblivious to the looks he was getting. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with some graphic design on the front. He had on a heavy purple hoodie with red stripes down the arms, and he was smiling like a fool.

“Sup? Ready for food?” He grinned, coming to a stop in front of him.

“Yeah!” Ann smiled, stepping forward. She couldn’t be mad at him for being happy, she felt like she was walking on air. 

She just realized that she was brave enough to tell Shiho how she really felt AND they were going to eat at the one restaurant that she wanted to visit for forever!

Ann felt like she could sing and dance the whole way to the hotel!

Akiko nodded and leaned down to pick up her backpack, which Ann just noticed was sitting at her feet. 

Morgana popped his head out of the bag and meowed happily. “I can’t wait to see what restaurant you picked for us, Lady Ann.”

She hadn’t really expected Akiko to bring Morgana along with them, but she supposed that he was a part of the team, and certainly deserved to celebrate too! She just hoped they didn’t get kicked out of the hotel for sneaking a cat inside.

“Well, it should be pretty amazing, so follow me!” Ann laughed and started to lead the way. “We have a reservation to keep, after all!”

It didn’t take them long to reach the hotel, and once Akiko paid the entrance fee at the front desk, they were allowed to take the elevator up to the all you can eat banquet hall.

The room was large, and extravagant. Gorgeous mahogany wood, rich warm tones of brown and gold tones in the fabrics, and gold trim on everything, as far as the eye could see.

A staff member in uniform led them to an empty table, after taking their tickets from Akiko at the front door.

“Enjoy your meals, young sir and ladies.” He drawled out, not sounding super enthusiastic to Ann, but she was too excited to care.

The cakes!

She could see the cakes from here!

The man said something else about the time limit, but she didn’t really hear him.

They had three different chocolate fountains!?

“Ooooh man look at all that meat!” Ryuji moaned, practically drooling before he jumped to his seat. “Hey, watch my stuff I’ll be right back.”

“Oh! Me too!” Ann cried, jumping to her feet and rushing to follow Ryuji over to the tables full of food, leaving Akiko and Morgana behind at their travel without a second thought.

The sweets! 

She couldn’t wait!

Cakes, pies, tarts, and cupcakes! There were just too many options to pick from! She needed to at least try as much as she could!

“Hey Ann?” Ryuji called over from down the table, his plate piled high with only some of the different meat dishes available. “What do you think Aki and Mona want? We should bring them back something while they wait, right?"

Oh yeah... that was a good idea. But Ann had no idea what they liked to eat?

“Uhh, well, I guess some fish for Mogana...” She mused aloud, as she just picked up the whole plate of pie. A peach and berry pie?! All hers, thank you very much!

“Think they like beans?”

“Beans?” Ann gave him a look, raising a brow. 

“I mean, look at all these different bean dishes?” Ryuji gestured to the surprising large amount of bean dishes that lay between them.

“I...I doubt it?” Ann suggested, before she saw the platter of Hokkaido cheese tarts and she nearly squealed in delight!

She thought heard Ryuji say something, but she didn’t catch it, too busy filling her plates with different tarts and custards and tiny handmade edible candy glass roses.

Her hands couldn’t just take anymore, so she started to head back to the table, giggling excitedly to herself and she looked over her collections of sweets and cakes and tarts and giant fluffy pancakes.

Ryuji ended up following along behind her, without a dish for Akiko or Morgana in hand, and the second they got back into their seats they dove into their respective piles of food. 

“Mmmmmm! So good!” Ryuji moaned around his first mouthful of meat, slumping into his seat in boneless pleasure.

Morgana poked his head out of the bag, looking at the display across the table, his wide blue eyes sparkling. 

“No wonder Lady Ann chose this place.” He gasped. "All that food looks amazing! But hey, where's our plate?"

"We were gonna grab one for you guys, but we couldn't agree on what you guys would want." Ryuji explained before tearing into a set of ribs with his bare hands, getting sausd on his face.

“Of course it’s good! This is a famous hotel, after all.” Ann giggled, taking another spoonful of the rich chocolate ganache cake with raspberries for her own.

“Oh yeah,” She remembered. Now that they were all here and sitting down. “I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school.” She whispered, lowering her voice.

“That’s troublesome.” Morgana hummed, his ears going flat on his head.

Ryuji sighed, frowning at his plate. “Our names are gonna come up for sure.”

He started to angrily cut at his piece of meat, his knife clinking against his plate. “People’re spreadin’ all sorts of nasty rumors about us and Kamoshida after all.”

His face changed as he chewed at his hunk of beef, a slight smirk coming over his lips. 

“But we sure got ‘em pumped up!” He chuckled. “I keep hearin’ stuff like “The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!” I mean, I know most people don’t believe it, but some of ‘em actually seem grateful! Like, look at this.” 

Ryuji fished his phone out of his coat pocket and unlocked his screen before turning it to show the girls. Ann leaned forward to get a good look at the black and red webform, with large black, white and blue title banner at the top.

“The...Phantom Aficionado Website?” She read aloud, squinting a little and leaning forward even more to see the smaller comments below. “ ”Well done, Phantom Thieves”... “Now I can keep going too”... “Thank you for giving us hope.””

Ryuji giggled like a school boy. “Pretty cool, huh? I found it last night. Someone just put it up not too long ago.”

“I was so desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all that... it feels strange.” Ann sighed, her gut twisting with fluttering butterflies. It was that nervous excitement that she got before a photoshoot.

“Yeah...” Ryuji agreed, putting his phone down, before glancing over at Akiko.

Ann noted that the other girl had been pretty silent since their conversation in the underground walkway, but to be fair, she was a quiet girl. Not to mention that Ryuji was loud enough for multiple people.

“What should we do now?” He asked Akiko, who avoided his gaze and looked down to the table top.

“...are we still good on time?” She asked softly and even Ann was slightly taken aback by the sudden topic change.

“Huh?” Ryuji asked, before his eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet. “Oh crap you’re totally right! We only got an hour to eat!”

The time limit!

Ann had completely forgotten!

She looked to the clock and gasped sharply, jumping to her feet as well. “We only have fifty minutes left!”

Ryuji groaned, looking between the buffet and their table with distress. “Oh man! I’m not gonna be able to finish all the beef dishes!”

Ann slammed her hands on the table, determination burning through her veins as she declared. “I’m going to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!”

“Hey!” Morgana snapped, drawing their attention. “You two already got food, if you call a mountain of meat and a kingdom of sweets, food! Let me and Akiko go! It’s our turn!”

“M-Morgana, it’s okay...” Akiko tried to protest, shushing the cat and trying to maneuver him back into the bag.

“No, no, he’s right.” Ann conceded, slipping back into her chair. She had a decent selection that she needed to work her way through first before she went back for more anyways...

“Yeah, yeah.” Ryuji sighed, also slipping back into his seat, rolling his eyes dramatically, before smiling at Akiko. “You gotta try the gyutan! It’s so tender, it was melting in my mouth~!”

“...a-are you sure?” Akiko asked softly, glancing between the two.

“Of course!” Ann smiled. “You waited for us, it’s your turn now!”

"Let's goooo! I'm hungry for fish!" Morgana whined, before ducking into the bag to make it easy to take him with her without being spotted.

Akiko nodded softly, picking up the Mona bag and heading off towards the buffet.

Ann quickly dug back into her chocolate cake, humming happily as the cosmic mix of dark chocolate and raspberries danced across her tongue. 

“So happy~!” She squealed, legs bouncing happily under the table.

“Hey. Calories.” Ryuji smirked at her, shoving a forkful of shredded beef and gravy into his mouth.

Ann gave him a sharp look. 

“Shut it.” Her diet was none of his concern. Besides! “How much do you think one of these cakes costs?! I’ll never get the chance to do this again!”

Taking a last large bite of the cake, she set her small plate aside and picked up the beautiful fluffy looking whip cream and fruit cake.

“The Wilton Hotel cake buffet~! I heard rumors, but I never thought it would actually be so amazing!” She sighed wistfully.

“Ahhh, it’s like a meaty explosion in my mouth...” Ryuji sighed, drooling over the steak on his fork.

The two ate in relative silence until Akiko returned to the table, two plates in hand. One plate with only fish on it for Morgana, and the other plate had a fish dish, a large serving of a fancy looking fried rice that Ann had not seen, several slices of roasted meat, and two cheese tarts set aside for dessert.

“Nice selection!” Ryuji smiled, before smirking at her. “Whaddya think about comin’ up against such ritzy food?”

“...I’m so happy.” Akiko admitted softly, a smile taking over her face as she sunk into her seat a little, flushing under the attention. Her voice was small and reserved still, but Ann could feel the genuine joy beneath her shyness.

“Ehh? That's pretty cute coming from you, Akiaki!” Ryuji teased, and Ann while agreed with her fellow blonde, she also noted with a growing interest as Akiko turned a particularly bright shade of red at the easy compliment and nickname that Ryuji threw her way.

Oooh?

Ryuji was oblivious to the effect that his words had had on the other girl, but Ann saw that scarlet blush and the way Akiko quickly grabbed her glass of water and took a long sip.

What’s this?

Ann hid her grin behind her cake, and made a note to see if she could find a way to talk to Akiko one on one and see if her theory was correct.

How very interesting~

“Like, I was just happy to eat, but take a bite! The different ingredients really make a difference, ya know?” Ryuji gestured to Akiko’s untouched utensils, urging her to eat.

Morgana sighed from between the two, giving the blonde boy a side look, his little fuzzy snot buried deep in fish. “Look at you, acting like you have a refined palate all of a sudden.”

“Don’t you think that’s a lotta fish Mona?” Ryuji asked, choosing to ignore the thinly veiled insult, and looking at the mountain of fish that Morgana had been gobbling down instead.

“There’s no knowing when we’ll get to come here again.” And with that retort, their not quite human companion doved back into his food.

“I hope we’re all able to eat all of this...” Ann sighed, looking out over the table at all of the plates they’d taken back with them. “It’d be a shame to let it all go to waste.”

“We’ll just have to try our best!”

\----

It felt like no matter how much they ate, the amount of food on the table stayed the same, but somehow, eventually, they finished. Ryuji was leaning back in his chair, a hand laid over his middle as he fanned his face, a slight layer of sweat gathering on his brow.

Akiko didn’t look much better, bent over at the waist with her arms wrapped around her middle, eyes scrunched in thought.

Ann felt relatively okay, her teeth were aching from all the sugar, and her leg was jiggling beyond her control, but she was doing pretty good!

“We....we did it.” Morgana mumbled weakly from the bag, his little white paws sticking out of the bag in front of him.

“O-oh yeah.” Ann did not like the way that Ryuji’s voice that dip at the end there, like he was trying to hold his food down. “This is a victory, for all of us...”

“S-so much food.” Akiko muttered, sounding tired and detached.

“We won, because we did it together.” Ryuji nodded, once again his voice dipping.

Ann smirked a little, ready to tease. “Great job guys! How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I highly recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and tangy sourness~”

Ryuji groaned and tilted his head back, waving a hand at her, trying to dismiss her idea. “Stop! No... I don’t wanna hear about sour stuff.”

Ann held back a giggle as Ryuji burped and looked pale.

“T-This aint good. I gotta go to the bathroom!” He cried, scrambling to his feet, bringing a hand to cover his mouth just in case.

Mission accomplished! Hehehe~

Morgana popped further out of the bag and pawed at Akiko’s arm.

“M-Me too! Please...carry me gently.” 

Ann watched as Ryuji rushed out of the buffet hall, Akiko, cradling her bag gently, following closely behind him.

Well, she'd been trying to just tease Ryuji, she hadn't meant to lose Akiko's company. She was kinda hoping she'd have the time to ask questions about her theory...

Plan b then.

She’d gossip another time.

Ann stood up and headed over to the dessert table again.

Talking about the tart got her taste buds watering again and she needed another one.

...

Or three.

\--------------------------------

God, even the bathrooms were fancy beyond belief in this place.

Ryuji sighed as he walked out of the stall, the toilet flushing the remains of his meal behind him. It sucks that he puked, but he felt better now, and the food had been worth it, so he quickly washed his hands and rinsed his mouth out with tap water to get rid of the bile taste.

As he shuffled out of the bathroom, he spotted Akiko, waiting by the elevator for him, Morgana’s head sticking out of her bag like some creepy realistic plush doll or something.

“Hey, thanks for waiting.” He called out, and Akiko turned slightly to face him, nodding quietly. “I totally panicked when I saw the “Closed for Cleaning” sign at the bathrooms downstairs...”

“You were talking so big about how much you could eat until you puke, but you really did puke... are you some kind of moron?” Morgana asked, as if Ryuji hadn’t seen Akiko take the cat into the women’s bathroom across the hall!

“Same goes for you!” He snapped before he sighed and turned to the elevator before them. “Sooo what floor was that restaurant on again?”

“Well, we came up to get here, so it’s a lower floor...” Morgana observed, which was good enough for Ryuji. He hit the down button and moved in front of the door, Akiko standing next to him. A couple of well dressed adults were behind them, he saw in the shiny reflection of the tacky gold plated doors.

Out of the blue, Akiko was knocked into his side, and the both of them stumbled out of the way, a group of adult men in business suits shoving past them and cutting in line for the elevator with no regard for anyone else around them.

Four relatively normal looking dudes in plain black suits and ties forming a square around a bald man, who wore jeans and a blazer. From this angle, Ryuji couldn’t see the man's face very well, but he did note that the man had a plain black eye patch over his left eye.

“There’s still no update on the case?” The man asked his associate on the left, turning his body fully so that he could see the man who was in his blind spot. It was clearer to see his face now, a short goatee on his chin and his remaining eye hidden behind yellow tinted shades.

“N-Not yet sir.” Stuttered the man who was being addressed, but another of the men stepped forward to interrupt.

“Excuse me sir, but why are you getting so personally involved? It’s not something you should be concerned with-”

The man with the eyepatch whipped around to face the one who dared talk back to him, glaring at him sharply with his good eye. “I don’t care about your opinion, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!”

“Hey, old man, you’re cuttin’ in line.” Ryuji piped up, giving the bald asshole a glare.

He was ignored, and the man in the suit who’d spoken up against his boss stood in between them. 

“What do you want?” He grunted, glaring down at Ryuji like he was nothing. “We’re in a hurry.”

“Oh! I’m sorry! So it’s okay to butt in front of other people if you’re in a hurry? My mom didn’t teach me that one.” He snarled, clenching his fists at his sides.

“It seems the customer base has changed since I was last here.” The bald man sighed, refusing to even look at them, turning his attention back to the elevator “Have they started a daycare in the building?”

“What was that, grandpa?” Ryuji sneered, glaring daggers into the back of the other man's head.

“Sir, we don’t have time for this.” Interrupted one of the man's entourage.

“I’m aware.” Sighed the leader of assholes, and the elevator door dinged open.

A sharp push on his chest had Ryuji stumbling backwards and it took him a moment to put together that he’d been pushed back by the same man he’d been explaining basic manners too!

And people called him a punk!

He was about to rush forward to give the man who’d dare to put his hands on him a piece of his mind when the man in charge of the group of adults snapped. “Don’t bother with him!”

The five men shuffled into the elevator, and Ryuji had half a mind to just say fuck it and get in the elevator with them, just to spite them.

“The hell was with that bossy jerk?” He grumbled, kicking at the shiny polished floor beneath his feet.

“Shouldn’t we head back down?” Morgana asked, and Ryuji had to admit, the cat was right.

He jammed a finger into the call button, sighing angrily. “Man that dick really pissed me off! He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact he looks down on everyone.”

“Don’t lose your temper over this.” Morgana offered gently, but what good would that do?!

“I just-!” He cut himself to take a deep breath. “I can’t forgive shitty adults like that!”

Ryuji looked at Akiko, she understood right? That jerk had pissed her off too, right?

He noticed however, that Akiko beside him, wasn’t looking for good. She had her hand to her face, quivering over her mouth, looking pale and frightened. Her eyes were wide, unblinking as she stared far off into the distance. Her breathing was shallow and shaky and Ryuji was a little worried about her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, stepping closer to her, reaching out hesitantly, unsure if he should offer her a pat on the back, or what...

“I...I...” She stuttered, her voice shaking slightly. She took a moment to collect herself, covering her face with both her hands, which still tembled, and breathing deeply, before muttering softly. “I... I just got lightheaded. I'm f-fine now.”

“You no feelin’ good?” Ryuji asked. Had she gotten sick in the bathroom too? He hoped she hadn’t, as good as the food tasted going down, it wasn’t nearly as good coming back up.

“She almost never eats well, after all...” Morgana piped up from the bag, before muttering under his breath. “Not to mention I keep getting canned cat food. All that fancy food has been a shock to our systems, I suppose.”

“I...I’m fine. It's fine guys.” Akiko mumbled, dismissing the concern. She still looked a little pale, but wasn’t she always?

“Uuugh! That ‘sir’ bullshit makes me sick.” Ryuji spat, thinking back to the confrontation they’d just had. He’d felt so useless. “Damnit!”

The elevator dinged again, and the two made their way back down to the proper floor, turns out the buttons were labeled, slipping back into the buffet hall to go meet up with Ann again.

The blonde girl had a sour look on her face by the time they returned.

“What took you so long!?” She snapped at them before they even had a chance to get back into their seat.

“Why’re you all pissy?” Ryuji asked, taken aback by her attitude. Who pissed in her tea while they were gone?

Ann sighed, her anger dissipating. “Sorry, sorry... I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me! But then she said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate!”

Ryuji scoffed. “Sounds like a real bitch....” This building was just full of nasty adults it seemed.

“Yeah....thanks though.” Ann offered a smile, happy to have someone on her side it seemed. “But...the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression...”

Ryuji and Akiko shuffled into their chairs weakly, sinking back down into their seats.

“I... I wonder if we’re out of place here....” Ann sighed, making herself smaller in her chair.

"... It always feels like this.” Akiko mumbled, catching both Ann and Ryuji’s attention.

So... she felt it too.

They really were all outcasts.

But... Were they?

Were outcasts who stuck together really outcasts?

Not to mention that their little group of outcasts had made such a positive impact in so many people's lives...

That the forum for example! So many people were thanking them for taking care of Kamoshida.

“Hey, Morgana?” Ryuji started, waiting for the cat to acknowledge him first.

A black and white fluffy head popped out of the bag, his ears flicking. “What is it?”

“Anyone could have a palace, yeah?”

Like that bald dickhead with the eyepatch back at the elevator.

Or that bitch that gave Ann a hard time while they were gone.

“Anyone with a strong, distorted desire, yes.” Morgana nodded.

Ryuji nodded, leaning forward. “Same for them havin’ a change of heart if their Treasure got stolen?”

“That would be the case.” Another nod.

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?” Ann asked, tilting her head to the side.

“We had some trouble earlier too. These pompose shitheads who just looked down on everyone else...” He hated how the bald guy wouldn’t even speak directly to Ryuji. Like he hadn’t even been worth acknowledging....

“I guess... I was just wonderin’ if we’d be able to change those kindsa people too.”

Ann blinked owlishly. “You mean... You want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?”

“I’ve been thinkin’...” He started softly, “We put a lot of work into changin’ Kamoshida’s heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus! Those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin’ us. US! Of all people!”

“...There are a lot of victims...” Akiko added.

“I...I agree.” Ann said resolutely. “If we ignore people who are in trouble, I’d go back to being the same as I was before...”

Ryuji agreed with her. It wasn't that he didn't like who he was before, but... He was more now, ya know? He had this power, he should totally use it!

“Well, that is true...” Morgana conceded before he nodded a little to himself. “You all are under my tutelage, after all. Together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish as phantom thieves!”

“Shouldn’t we be able to help ‘em out?” Ryuji asked Akiko, “The victims of shitty people I mean...”

Akiko didn’t answer him right away, her brow pinched together in thought as she sat stiffly under his expecting gaze.

Ann spoke up, voicing her own hesitation. “That means we’ll have to fight Shadows again, doesn’t it?”

Morgana nodded. “Unfortunately, that can’t be avoided.”

“Ehh, I’m sure we’ll manage.” Ryuji dismissed easily. “I mean, we handled ourselves alright for our first time dontcha think? Right?”

“I...” Akiko started, twisting her hands nervously in her lap before she spoke in a clearer voice, one more confident and full of determination.

Almost like the voice she used in Kamoshida's palace.

“I want to be able to help people.”

Ann and Ryuji nodded with her. That was the same thing they wanted after all.

“Heh, even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we’re an actual organization now.” snickered Morgana, his eyes twinkling with delight.

“Fledgelings?” Ann asked, her nose wrinkling before she laughed a little. “Haha, I guess that is pretty fitting for us.”

Ryuji grinned and sat up a little taller in his seat. “All right! It’s settled! We’re gonna catch all the shitty adults by surprise! Let's make ourselves known to the world!”

Ann looked over at Akiko, who was smiling softly. “Are you okay being our leader?” 

He guessed that worked out! She had that thing where she could handle multiple Persona’s and she’d been the one to lead the way through Kamoshida’s Palace in a single day after all.

“No objections here!” He grinned at her happily, as Akiko looked at him for his opinion. “I can’t handle all that responsibility shit, anyways."

“Where's my say?!” Morgana protested, but it lacked any real heat. “But...I guess if Lady Ann made the recommendation, I’ll allow it.”

“Well, should we decide on a name for our group!?” He leaned forward in his seat, smiling happily. A group! A really honest to goodness group! And it was his and he was a part of it! 

“I just went with ‘The Phantom Thieves of Hearts’ last time, but we don’t have to use it, a real name could totally be cooler.” Ryuji admitted.

“Oh! I’ve got it! The Diamonds!” Ann smiled. “It’s cute and luxurious!”

“I think that was the name of my little league baseball team.” Ryuji gestured with a thumbs down.

“Oh! oh!” Morgana chimed in, “What about “Tilefish Poele”?”

“Tile...what now?” There was no way that Ryuji would be able to remember that.

Morgana smiled a toothy smile, his fangs on display. “That’s what I ate earlier. It’s...commemorative, no?”

“Hard no on the fish name.” Ryuji rolled his eyes looking to Akiko, the only one yet to suggest a name. “Looks like it’s up to you, Leader.”

Akiko looked flustered for a moment, but after taking a second to think about it she answered softly.

“Maybe...The Phantoms...?” English, like their codenames. 

“Huh. Simple, to the point.” Ann mused aloud. “I like it.”

“A good name. For a rookie.” Morgana teased, his tail flicking back and forth happily.

“Hey! It’s basically the same name I had!” Ryuji protested, before shrugging. “But yeah, I’ll admit that the Phantoms are less of a mouthful, so yeah, we can go with that.”

“If...if everyones okay with it...”

“It’s perfect Aki-chan.” Ann smiled easily. “So, we have our name, but who's our next target?”

“There are tons of rotten adults after all.” Ryuji agreed. Where to even start?

“Why not stick to targeting big names?” He suggested, trying to think of the easiest way. They wanted to get big right?

“...like a CEO?” Akiko clarified.

"Or some celebrity!" Ann chimed in, catching his drift it seemed.

“Yeah, something like that! If we go after some bigwig, it’s gotta get on the news for sure, right? More people are sure to believe in us if we did that, right?”

“That’s not a bad idea, for you Ryuji.” Morgana teased.

“And, the bigger we become, the more well known we get...the more people we'll be able to inspire.” Ann mused before she added. “I don’t really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue, though.”

“Then we’ll narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then.” No need to do things if they didn’t all agree, right?

“So we need a bigwig that we all agree upon unanimously....” Morgana mused aloud.

“I like the unanimous part! It’s like we’re making some kind of secret pact!” Ann smiled conspiratorial between the group. Ryuji had to agree with her. It was exciting! It made them feel more legitimate.

Like a legitimate team.

“Officially, the Phantom Thieves organization has been formed!” Morgana cheered, and Ryuji was about to say something about how technically they were formed back in the castle, but Ann gasped loudly, cutting his train of thought off.

“Oh no!” She cried, her eyes locked on the clock, a pout taking over her face. “Our time for the buffet is out!"

“We’ll just talk more at school tomorrow then.” Ryuji grinned, stretching in his chair as he got ready to leave.

He was looking forward to school tomorrow, a thought he thought he’d never have!

Heh, bring it on Shujin! The Phantoms were ready for whatever you had to throw at them!

They were a team now, and a team could do anything!

\--------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this fic needs a does of....
> 
> Phan boys ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
> 
> Next time on Rolling Girl!


	13. Chapter 13: Mishima, Ryuji, Sojiro, Morgana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phan boy-ing, hair ties, and more to come!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there (◍•ᴗ•◍)
> 
> I did some art.
> 
> (｡◕‿◕｡)➜ https://the-creepy-void.tumblr.com/post/641574752621887488/my-art-is-really-really-bad-if-i-werent
> 
> It's of Akiko in her winter school uniform and her Joker outfit.

Chapter 13: Mishima, Ryuji, Sojiro, Morgana

\----------------------------------

The final bell rang and while the majority of class 2-D quickly dispersed, Yuuki remained at his seat, staring down at his hands as he nervously clenched and unclenched them on the grey metal top of his school desk.

It was amazing how much he’d recovered after just two weeks away from Kamoshida’s abuse. He didn’t need to hide any bumps or bruises or scraps or welts under bandages anymore, because there were none.

His muscles and joints weren’t aching everyday anymore. His bones didn’t feel like lead in his body anymore. His body finally felt like it was his own, and not a punching bag for his coach, for the first time since he’d started at Shujin.

He’d almost forgotten how that felt.

His body hadn’t felt this good...

No.

He, as a person, hadn’t felt this good, in a long long time.

He clenched his hands and took a deep breath.

He knew that his new found comfort in his own skin was a blessing, a gift really.

And there was no way that Yuuki wasn’t going to thank the person responsible for that.

There was no way he was wrong in his theory, it had to be Her.

There was no other option!

He was pretty sure that Sakamoto had helped Her, they seemed to be close, but Sakamoto had tried before to stand up to Kamoshida and look at what good that had done the vulgar boy; a broken leg, a suspension, and an unsalvageable reputation. 

No...

Things hadn’t changed for Mishima Yuuki, or any of the other victims, until She came into his life.

Yuuki had planned to talk to her at lunch, but... She’d been talking with Takamaki-san, and he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. What if it had been important? He was pretty sure Takamaki was involved as well, she wasn’t the type to just make friends out of the blue, or hang out with a guy like Sakamoto. 

Plus his gut had twisted so hard at the idea of talking to her, that he thought he might be sick.

No!

He couldn’t put it off any longer!

He rose from his seat and had to put conscious effort into putting one foot in front of the other, walking across the front of the classroom and over two rows.

She hadn’t left yet, but it looked like she was about to. Her bag was sitting on her desk, and she had her phone in her hands, staring at her screen as she stood by her desk, waiting for something.

Her long black hair flowed down her back and the soft cool light from the windows behind her illuminated her from behind, casting little rays of light, dancing like a halo around her face...

“E-Excuse me...”

Mishima felt his eyes go wide and his face flush and he desperately cleared his throat, trying to cover it behind a cough in the crook of his elbow.

Seriously?! Of all the times for his voice to crack!

“S-Sorry. Um, Kurusu-chan- I mean Kurusu-san! I uh, umm...” He stumbled over his words.

Kurusu Akiko didn’t interrupt him, waiting for him to find his words and he felt himself flush even more. 

She was so kind to wait for him so patiently...

“I uh, well I wanted to... what I wanted to say was...” 

He swallowed before stepping a little closer to her, sticking his hands into his pockets so she couldn’t see how sweaty his palms were starting to get.

“Have you seen the Phantom Aficionado Website?” He asked quickly, rushing the words out in a soft whisper, as to not attract unwanted attention, even though the classroom was empty. The doors were open and who knows who could walk by at any time.

To his delight, Akiko nodded a little, slipping her phone back into her pocket, giving him her full attention.

“Mmhmm...I saw it yesterday.” She confirmed and Yuuki couldn’t stop the smile. 

She’d seen it!

She’d seen the site!

He felt like jumping up and down, but restrained himself. 

“That’s awesome!” He grinned, bouncing on his heels a little. 

“I uh... I ask cuz I’m the one who made it.” He admitted.

He’d only put it together two days ago, basically having the idea over the break. He got everything started the first day, and after pulling an all nighter writing code, he launched the website the next morning.

Akiko looked taken aback, her beautiful grey eyes blinking behind her glasses and Yuuki wondered if that’s why her parents named her Shining Child, her eyes really did sparkle like starlight.

“I wanted to thank you... you know.... For what you did.” He leaned forward, whispering even lower. “I’m right, right? It was you? You and Sakamoto? And Takamaki-san? You guys have something to do with the Phantom Thieves, don’t you?”

“I-I- uh...” Akiko stuttered wide eyed, leaning backwards slightly. Her face was quickly flushing a really really cute shade of pink, her eyes even wider than before. He’d never seen her face so close before! She had shockingly porcelain skin, her eyelashes dark and long, and her lips soft and pink, with a perky little cupid's bow and that’s when he realized just how into her personal space he’d gotten!

“So-sorry!” He stuttered, moving back sharply, feeling his own flush rise. Oh geez, how stupid could he have been? 

She smelt nice though...

Like... warm spicy food and the old paper of books.

He also noticed that she’d refused to answer him, neither confirming nor denying the accusation, instead flustered over his accusation and nervously fumbling over her words.

That was enough confirmation for him!

He knew it!

Kurusu Akiko was amazing! Like a merciful angel, she came to their school and brought salvation for so many people!

He’d forever be grateful to her.

“Don’t worry, Kurusu-chan.” Mishima smiled, “I promise I’ll keep it a secret!”

He bowed at the waist, trying to convey the seriousness of his words.

“Kamoshida used me, and I...I did some really horrible things to you...” 

He’d never forgive himself for posting copies of her criminal record online, in forums he knew that Shujin students used frequently. Kamoshida had ordered him to spread it around and quickly as possible, and Mishima hated himself for it.

But there was no way that record was true!

There was just no way!

It must be a misunderstanding!

The Kurusu Akiko that he’d seen, that he’d watched from afar for the last week of school, there was just no way this girl could be what the records say she was!

She just couldn’t be that kind of girl!

Kurusu Akiko was no... no dirty girl! She was amazing, and incredible, and it seemed that Yuuki might be the only one at the school to see that!

She got every answer that the teachers asked her right! She was so smart!

The other day, he’d seen her in the courtyard eating her lunch, and she was offering pieces of it to a stray black and white cat! She was so generous!

He’d actually seen her with that cat a lot, now that he thought about it. She was an animal lover too! How compassionate~!

And now Akiko had to live with unbelievably disgusting rumors being spread about her every day, because he had helped spread that misinformation around.

The ones that Yuuki overheard were enough to make him feel sick, and he could only imagine what Akiko herself had to deal with.

“I... I know that it’s not enough to repay you...” He admitted, “But please! If you ever need help, I’m here for you! Just say the word, and I’m there!”

“T-Thank you, but I’m not...” Akiko mumbled, trying to deny but Yuuki wasn’t having it. There was no way that he was wrong!

“You know, It’s not just Kamoshida.” Yuuki sighed, glancing out the window, it was grey and overcast, but not quite raining just yet. “There are tons of evil adults out there.”

He turned to Akiko with a smile. “But I’m sure the Phantom Thieves will do something! They’re too amazing to let it end after just one target. That’s another part of the reason that I wanted to make a forum. I wanted to make a space where people could post about their problems.”

Didn’t she understand?

“There are probably a lot of other people out there who have hope for the Phantom Thieves' next move.”

Akiko ducked her head a little, avoiding his gaze. She bit her lip, but didn’t say anything.

Maybe she needed more?

“I’ve implemented an anonymous poll on the site.” He reached into his pocket and fished his phone out. He clicked open his browser, still loaded on the PhanSite as he’d left it from when he’d checked at lunch, and hey! Look at that! The poll was up zero point two percent! His battery was low, he’d have to charge it as soon as he got home. That’s what he got for refreshing the page every five minutes.

“‘Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?’” He proclaimed, showing Akiko the poll. He was really proud of the design layout, he thought it looked pretty good on both mobile and desktop and it was simple and easy to read, but still stylish.

“I wanna work on this forum, so eventually it’ll be packed with tons of supportive posts.” That was his plan for it anyway. He was going to have to moderate pretty hard, the chat was mostly filled with bots and trolls for now, but it would be worth it as the site and the Phantom Thieves’ grew!

“Kurusu-chan, I really want to help the Phantom Thieves’ act in the name of Justice!” He beamed at her, lowering his phone so they could see eye to eye without his screen in the way.

“Can I? Please?”

The girl in front of him looked flustered. Her mouth was struggling to form words, and her eyes darting between Yuuki, the window, her bag?, and the open doors to the hall. Eventually she sighed and slumped her shoulders a little.

“I... I can’t stop you, I guess...” She mumbled, her voice small but it chimed like bells to Yuuki.

“Hehehe, in that case, I’ll just do what I want.” He laughed easily, happy to have her approval.

“Oh hey, so, can I ask for your number?” Yuuki asked, flushing at the implication and quickly clarifying. “I-Incase something comes with- with the site, of course!”

“...I supposed.” Akiko mumbled, pulling out her phone and opening up the contact section. Mishima could see from where he was standing that she didn’t have a lot of contacts in her phone, less than ten that was for sure.

When she passed her phone over to him to enter his information, he nearly dropped it when their fingers happened to brush against each other. Her skin was so smooth...

Once they exchanged numbers and chat IDs, Yuuki couldn’t stop smiling.

He’d just gotten a girls number in his phone!

Yes!

“Hehehe Thanks Kurusu-chan! See you at school tomorrow!” He laughed and rushed back to his desk to gather his things.

He had to get home and get to work on improving the webpage. Get some bot control in there, at least.

As he was leaving the classroom, he saw Sakamoto and Takamaki enter the room. He gave them a simple bow, but rushed off. He’d already said everything he needed to, to Kurusu-chan.

He waited until he was further down the hall to celebrate.

He crouched down low, and then jumped up, punching at the air with a laugh.

Yes!

He had a girl's number in his phone, and not only that, It was Kurusu Akiko’s!

Yuuki practically ran home, a smile on his face the whole way there.

He was going to make the best Phantom Thieves Aficionado website ever!

Akiko-chan would be so proud of him~!

\----------------------

“Oh my god, that was awkward as hell to watch.” Ryuji groaned, leaning against a desk that didn’t belong to him as he joined Akiko’s side.

“We heard everything, by the way.” He explained. Ann had met him in the hall after class and the two had stopped at the vending machine to buy drinks. By the time they got back, their new leader was already being accosted by their classmate.

“So, it was Mishima-kun who made the Phan site.” Ann muttered, crossing her arms.

“Has he learned our identities?” Morgana popped his head out of the bag, looking concerned.

Ann shrugged. “Even if he has, I think it’ll be fine. He sounded pretty sincere when he was pledging himself to Aki-chan just a moment ago there.”

Ryuji noticed as Akiko quickly tried to deny the accusation, her face flushing a rosey pink.

“I-It wasn’t like-!”

Ryuji laughed, cutting her off. “Of course it was like that! I think I heard him give a victory cry in the hall or something."

There was no mistaking the laughing whopping cry that had echoed back to them as anything but, really.

"Dude must not talk to a lot of girls."

Otherwise, why would he be getting so flustered over Akiko? She was kinda cute, sure, but for Mishima to be that doe eyed over her? Ann was literally right there! Mishima said he knew she was evolved too, and she was like, literally twice as pretty as Akiko. Maybe Mishima just liked the shy nerdy girl thing?

In Ryuji's opinion, a girl needed to be fairly cute to pull off the nerdy girl thing, like without that, they were just nerds afterall. 

Well, Mishima was kind of a nerd himself, to be fair, but didn't Mishima look at magazines too? The world was full of much more beautiful women than Akiko!

It must be because he was so grateful for the help?

Something in his stomach twisted uncomfortably, and he wasn't sure why.

Was it because they'd been found out so easily? They'd only just formed their group yesterday, and technically Mishima already knew they were involved.

But was that all Mishima knew? 

What if he knew that they were the Phantom Thieves?

“Maybe we should have a talk with him about it...” He thought aloud, and he was pleased to see Ann and Akiko nod in agreement with him.

“I will say though...” Morgana piped up from the bag on the table, “a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful.”

“Maybe it’ll help with the new target?” Ryuji asked, stretching his arms above his head. He was starting to get antsy. It had been too long since he'd moved and gotten his muscles going.

Maybe he should try inviting Akiko for another running session or something? Ahhh but he still hadn’t found a new running spot yet... well they could jog to the ramen place or something! He wanted to get moving again and it had been over a week since he’d hung out with his new friend.

“We need to stay sharp until we find one, though.” Ann reminded him. “And even then, once we do, we’ll have to head into another Palace, so we should really prepare our equipment and-”

Wait a second...

Prepare...

Prepare...

Why was that word ringing a bell?

“OH CRAP!” He yelled, suddenly remembering why he’d heard that word so often recently!

“What’s with you!?” Ann snapped, stamping her foot at the interruption.

“Don’t we got exams coming up soon!?”

Ann sighed, rolling her eyes at him. “Judging by that reaction, I’m going to assume you’re going to struggle with this one too huh?”

It was true, Ryuji had a history of scoring pretty poorly on tests. He’d never been in the top fifty percent of the class, but hey guess what?

“Like you’re any better!” He snapped, knowing for a fact that half the time Ann was in the lower half of the scores with him. “All you’re good at is English, and you’re cheating cuz you grew up overseas!”

He wasn’t sure where Ann had been before Japan. He was pretty bad with accents. He assumed America, but maybe it was Canada? Or England? He was terrible at forgien accents.

Ann glared at him, why was she mad at him?! He was right!

“I’d rather that than be bad at EVERY subject!”

“Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji.” Morgana snickered from his bag, getting in on the ‘let’s pick on Ryuji, he doesn’t have an academic mind’ party everyone seemed to be having.

“You know, what’s questionable is whether you’re really even a human.” He fired back. Hey, he thought of that one on the fly! Look at him, he could be smart!

“Heh! Good comeback, huh?” He smirked to Akiko, raising a hand for a high five, but she left him hanging, keeping her hands in her pockets.

“Please don’t fight...” She sighed a little wearily, and Ryuji was reminded of some comically distressed mother trying to wrangle her rowdy children on some TV sitcom. He felt bad for a moment, but said moment quickly passed, as the cat refused to back down from the argument. 

“We can discuss this with our fists if you want, you ape!” Morgana hissed, ignoring Akiko’s plea for peace.

“Bring. It. on.” Ryuji challenged. There was no way he was gonna lose to some stupi cat!

Ann reached out and smacked him upside the head. OW! That stung!

“Will you two quit it!?” She snapped as Ryuji rubbed the spot where she hit him.

“Fiiiiine.” He whined, sinking lower into his slumped lean against the desk. It wasn’t like he’d even feel good beating up a cat. He wasn’t some fuckin’ pyscopath or something.

“Anyway, I need to head out. I’m going to the hospital to spend some time with Shiho.” Ann sighed, gathering up her bag. “See you guys later.”

“Bye.” Ryuji sighed.

“Please take care Lady Ann!”

“...say hello to Shiho-san for me, please. I wish her well.” 

After they waved the girl off, Ryuji turned to Akiko and grinned.

“Just us now huh? Wanna go get some Ramen? I’m starving.”

Ryuji watched as Akiko opened and closed her mouth a few times, contemplating her answer.

“Please?” Ryuji pushed before she could find an excuse. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out. Just us, I mean.”

Akiko closed her mouth and ducked her head down, before nodding a little.

“Oh...Okay.”

Yes! He won!

“Sweet! I know just the place! Follow me!”

\------

The small restaurant was just the same as he remembered it. Warm, tiny, cozy, full to the brim with the sounds of cooking and the smells of amazing food.

He and Akiko sat at the bar, near the back, away from the door.

Ryuji offered to order for Akiko, because of how well he knew the menu, but she declined and ordered a tempura udon. He got a beef ramen with extra meat.

The food still tasted the same and taking a sip was like slipping back in time to when he and his old friends would sit in these very stolls, and eat this same food.

“Thank you for inviting me, the food is wonderful.” Akiko mumbled politely, eating her tempura quickly before it got too soggy.

“How did you find this place, Ryuji? I'm impressed.” Morgana asked from Akiko’s bag, having snuck a piece of shrimp tempura for himself.

“Some of us guys on the Track team used to come here all the time after practice....” He admitted, remembering the good times they had together here. “I guess it’s in the past now...”

No more hanging with the guys, no more ribbing each other about girls or running times or who was gonna get a girlfriend first or...

“Speaking of! I’ve seen Nanaoka around a few times. For some reason it doesn’t look like he’s getting along with the others.”

It was so strange to see Nanaoka like that, wandering the halls alone and slumped in on himself. That wasn’t the Nanaoka he knew...

“...Are you worried about him?”

“Yeah, kinda." Ryuji sighed a little.

"I mean, I’ve been thinking about what he said the other day. How the whole track team was just putting up with Kamoshida’s shit, and how I ‘effed it up for them... I’m thinking he was right.”

Akiko put her chopsticks down, turning her full attention to Ryuji, silently prompting him to continue.

“I mean, they don’t even get a club room anymore! They’ve been storing all their stuff behind the gym, and they can’t use any of the school gear, so they just end up running laps around the block for practice."

It wasn't fair really. The guys on the track team didn't deserve to be treated like that. They hadn't done anything wrong, he had, and yet, they still were being treated like... Like him.

"There ain't really a place at Shujin for outcasts like that, I mean, I should know that better than anyone. It’s good they’re keeping their heads low for now though. I wouldn’t want them to end up like me...”

It wasn't fair, and even if Kamoshida was gone, the track team was still left behind.

It wasn't fair! They didn't deserve to be left behind like him!

“...I think you’re doing okay.” Akiko's soft voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, like a blade.

Really? Ryuji? Doing okay?

Really?

But... If he really thought about it, he was certainly doing better than he used to be, that was for sure.

Ryuji couldn't remember a time that he'd honestly been happier.

"You... You know what? You’re right!"

How was she able to do that? 

Just completely flip his train of thought with just a few words?

"Now that I think about it, trying to fit in is a real pain in the ass! I mean, I’d never’ve met you guys if I wasn’t an outcast, right?"

If he'd still been on the track team, he'd have been already at school that morning they bumped into each other. They never would have meet, never would have found out about the metaverse, and Kamoshida would still be doing nasty shit!

And he'd never have been friends with Akiko at all!

"So it’s all good!" And for the first time in a long time, Ryuji realized that he meant that.

"For real though, it’s been a shit ton of fun! Hangin’ out with you guys is so freakin’ cool!”

Fighting in the Palace had been scary at first, but with Akiko's leadership, it didn't seem so daunting afterwards. It was even kinda fun, if he was being totally honest with himself.

The meal they'd had at the hotel yesterday? The forming of the Phantom's and the solidification of their new friendship?

It was all worth it really, fuck society, as long as he had these girls and that silly cat, he'd be alright.

Akiko offered him a soft smile, nodding in agreement with him.

“....same....It’s been a lot of fun.”

Ryuji grinned, chuckling a little before he sighed and turned back to his bowl.

It was true his situation was way better than he'd originally given it credit for, but that didn't mean that the other members of track were in the same boat at all.

“...I just wish there was something I could do to help those track guys. It’d prolly mess ‘em up if I tried to butt into their lives again though...”

They may be not doing all that well, but they were certainly doing better socially at school than Ryuji was, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause them more trouble.

Akiko bit her lip, and before she could make a comment Ryuji cut her off with a clap of his hands.

"Anyway! We still gotta find a new spot for our trainin’ I’ll try and find some place nice, but don’t get too lazy in the meantime, yeah?"

"R-right..." Akiko offered softly, turning back to her bowl quickly, picking at her noodles with her chopsticks.

“Eat up! Before they get soggy!” Ryuji reached out and nudged her arm gently, trying to prod her into eating more. To his delight it worked, Akiko gave him a slight side eye, smiling a little, as she raised her bowl to her lips and just started to drink the broth.

The three of them finished up their meal in relative silence.

Once they finished they split the bill and headed their separate ways for the night, Ryuji deciding to walk back to his apartment from the restaurant and Akiko needing to take the train to get to Yongen in time for her curfew.

Oh yeah! 

Ryuji almost forgot he still needed to find a time to head over to that cafe and check it out!

He sighed, and stretched his arms up high above his head, his spine popping in a few spots.

It was true that Akiko really seemed to like the Cafe, but Morgana said that she was living in a storage space, so how good could it actually be?

Maybe he should try and get Ann involved too...

They could sneak into the cafe, posing as a couple, and do some undercover surveillance or something!

It would have to be a day that Akiko wasn’t at the cafe, though, and that’s what had Ryuji stumped.

To his knowledge, if Akiko wasn’t spending time with him after school, she was working at the cafe. She didn’t have any other friend than himself and Ann, and Ann was too busy visiting Shiho after school to spend a lot of time doing anything else.

Uuuughh this was giving him a headache!

Oh shit, and he still had to study for exams once he got home!

Uuuuhhhh what a day.

At least he got some good ramen out of it, there was that.

\--------------------

“Hey.” Was the only warning that Sojiro gave his ward before he tossed the small brass object in his hand towards her.

She caught it in her right hand reflexively, her face slightly shocked that he’d thrown something at her.

She looked down at the small key in her hand and Sojiro felt the need to explain, rubbing the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

“That’s the spare key to this place.”

Akiko gave him a wide eyed look, seemingly shocked that she was being given such a thing. 

“You get to lock up from now on. I can’t keep waiting for you to come home, I wanna close early some nights, after all.” Sojiro sniffled, trying to play it cool.

He was aware this would mean that she could come and go from the cafe at all hours of the night, and he’d have no way of stopping her, but he was starting to get the feeling that she wouldn’t cause that sort of trouble while living with him after all.

“Just... Don’t start any fires, got it?”

His teenage ward nodded her head and offered him a small smile. She clutched at the key he’d given her like it was a precious gift, holding it close to her chest as she gave him a small bow, mumbling a thank you, which he brushed off.

She’d earned a little respect around here, after all the hard work she’d done to help him out around the store.

“Oh! And before I forget again. These are also for you.” He muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small collection of black fabric covered hair ties. He’d found at least five of the little bastards in the bathroom alone over the last couple days and he’d been meaning to give them a better home. Futaba had dozens after all, she wouldn’t miss the stragglers.

He held his closed hand out, and Akiko moved forward, opening her palms to accept his offering.

Springy black circles tumbled into her palms, and Akiko struggled not to lose any, she looked up at him with a wide eyed, disbelieving look.

“For your hair, no more rubber bands, alright kid?”

“B-Boss...” Akiko muttered softly and Sojiro watched in horror as her face started to crumple, her eyes watering and her cheeks growing red and blotchy, her bottom lip trembling.

“T-Thank you Boss, t-thank you so much.” Akiko whimpered, her shoulders shaking as she tried to remain composed, but her breath was hitching beyond her control, and he could see the tears that fell onto her hands that held the hair ties so gently, like they would break if she held them too tightly.

“G-Geez kid, they’re just hair ties...” He mumbled, completely unprepared for this turn of emotions from his normally so stoic ward.

Akiko shook her head quickly, sniffling back more tears. “Y-You don’t understand-...I-...thank you... thank you so much.”

He wasn’t made of stone, as grumpy as he may appear sometimes. With a heavy sigh, Sojiro walked around the bar, and in a few quick strides, he was standing in front of the crying girl.

It was with slight hesitation that he reached out and gave her a pat on the shoulder, letting his hand sit there as a, hopefully, comforting weight. 

He wasn’t prepared for Akiko to step forward and wrap her arms around him, hugging him tightly around the waist, pressing her face into his shoulder.

He stood there stunned for a moment before he sighed and hugged her in return, rubbing at her back softly, like he’d do for Futaba when she needed it.

“Geez...All this over some hair ties...”

“...thank you.....thank you....”

“Sheesh....”

\---------------------------------

Morgana gave a quick stretch, lowering his front down to the ground and stretching his tail to the ceiling, before he jumped up onto the futon, sitting next to Akiko who was dressed for bed.

She was sitting with her legs over the side of the bed, those black elastic hair ties held in the palms of her hands again.

Things had been quiet between the two since Boss had left the store

“Sure was nice of Boss to give you better hair ties.” He remarked. “But, if the rubber bands were hurting you that much, you should have just bought some on your own.”

Akiko shook her head a little, keeping her gaze on the elastics. She’d removed her glasses a while ago, the large black frames sitting on the window sill above the bed, reflecting the soft orange glow of the street lights behind them.

“I...It’s dumb. It’ll sound dumb...” Akiko mumbled, avoiding Morgana’s inquisitive gaze.

“Oh? Can’t sound much dumber than that Ape, Ryuji.” He snickered until Akiko gave him a small pat on the head, not enough to hurt, but enough that he got the point, for now.

“Stop it...that’s mean.” She sighed, pulling her feet up from the floor and shuffled backwards, scooching back until her back was pressed up against the wall and her legs were stretched across the bed.

“So? Why couldn’t you buy any hair bands?” 

He might not actually be a cat, but he was certainly as curious as one!

Hey! Maybe that was a clue! He’d have to remember that...

Akiko sighed a little and mumbled something.

Morgana was sure that he’d heard her correctly, his sharp ears hardly missed anything, but there had to be a mistake! There was no way he heard her right!

“E-excuse me? I must have heard you wrong. Could you repeat yourself?” 

“I told you it was dumb...” Akiko sighed, pulling her knees to her chest.

Morgana jumped up a little, putting his paws on her knees and leaning closer to her face. He needed to make sure he heard this right this time, because he was so confused.

“It’s not dumb, Aki...I just wanna know...”

Akiko sighed heavily and turned her head to the left, staring at the empty white space above the head of her bed.

In a clearer tone than before she finally confirmed that Morgana had heard correctly after all.

“Hair ties are for pretty girls.” She said it like it was a fact, and that was what confused Morgana even more.

Hair ties.... Were for anybody who wanted to get their hair out of their face, weren’t they? Man or woman? What did looks have to do with it?

Morgana didn’t have any hair to style himself, currently stuck with fur until he regained his body, but he was pretty sure that hair ties were a common enough household item that aren't restricted to the rich and fabulous, and he’d never heard of items being restricted based on beauty! 

In Morgana’s stunned silence, Akiko continued.

“I didn’t mean to cry like that... I should apologize to Boss...”

“You already did apologize, like three different times.” He recalled, because that was a much easier conversation to have than trying to dive into why Akiko was convinced that she couldn’t have hair ties...

“Wait a minute! Are you saying you don’t think you're pretty enough for hair ties?” Morgana gasped, but Akiko pushed him off her legs and moved to slip under the covers of her bed.

“Good night Mona.” She said, instead of addressing the issue.

“No!” Morgana hissed, batting at her hands so she'd stop trying to avoid the conversation. “Explain!”

“Mona, it’s fine... Sojiro-san gave me the hair ties, right? So, if he says it’s okay, then.... It should be fine, right?”

“It would have been fine regardless!” 

She didn’t need Chief to tell her that she was pretty enough to wear hair ties! She could just wear the hair ties! She was pretty!

Maybe not beautiful like Lady Ann, but Akiko was still pretty!

She just... needed to do something with her hair, that’s all.

And now she could! Because she had hair ties!

Akiko blushed a little and gave a small smile, easily picking up Morgana and hugging him close to her chest, ignoring his flailing limbs and mild protest. 

“Thank you Morgana...That’s really sweet of you...” She whispered, and Morgana stopped struggling for a moment. He’d never heard her sound so happy before... “Thank you...”

“I-! You-!...You’re welcome...” he conceded, and sunk into her arms. Arguing was exhausting anyhow...

He wasn’t a pet, just because he happened to look like a cat didn't mean he liked being treated like one, but Akiko’s arms were warm and her hand was smooth as it racked down his pack, rubbing all the right spots.

He would never admit it, even under threat of death and pain of toture, but he fell asleep in her arms, purring like a little motor.

\----

The next morning, Morgana had been disappointed to see that Akiko didn’t put her new hair ties to use, and instead did her best to get her locks under control by grabbing sections of it at a time and running her fingers through it until her digits didn’t snag anymore.

Actually, now that he thought about it... He’s never seen her using a hair brush...

Did she even own one?

He’d been assuming that she had one, and used it in the bathroom, but he never saw it with her small collection of toiletries. 

N-Not that he was looking in a lady's personal items or anything!

That would certainly be unbecoming of a gentleman such as himself.

Once he realized what he was snooping in, he’d quickly bailed and found something else to occupy his time upstairs whileAkiko had been working in the Cafe a few days ago.

He wanted to continue their conversation from last night and get a better understanding of why she seemed to be so certain she was unworthy of, very plain basic hair ties, in his opinion.

The idea of her having to go to school with puffy red eyes like the ones she’d had last night, had him reconsider it though.

“Morgana, you ready?” Akiko asked softly, holding the sides of her school bag open for him as she waited patiently by the stairs.

They’d both already eaten breakfast, Sojiro had offered a plate of curry to Akiko and a plate of canned cat food to Morgana.

As much as he hated being reminded that his body wasn’t...human, he had to admit that the gravy in the chicken chunks in gravy wasn’t too bad.

“Let’s go!” He leapt into her bag and turned around inside of it once, twice, just to get comfortable of course, before settling in for her to zip him up. She purposefully stuck the zipper tab in so he could easily bite it and open the bag whenever he wanted it. He appreciated that she did that for him without prompting or asking, she just gave him the ability to control his situation as much as possible. 

He preferred this bag to her other one, but he shouldn’t complain too much. He realized that he wasn’t exactly the lightest weight in the world.

He felt his fabric covered and school book filled world shift and move beneath his paws, and off they were!

The subway was tightly crammed and unfortunately, they weren’t able to grab a seat that morning, so Akiko had had to hold him close to her chest as they struggled to see the tiny display screens with the news scrolling across them.

School had been boring, he mostly spent the whole day cat napping inside Akiko’s desk. At one point Kawakami-sensei asked Akiko a question about Femme Fatals, but Akiko was able to answer the question without his help, even if teacher made her repeat herself louder so the whole class could hear her answer.

Once class was let out for the day, they met up on the rooftop, hanging out by the small collection of spare seats and desks again.

Ryuji was already scrolling through the Phan site on his phone by the time they got there, Ann stopping to get a water bottle from the vending machine before the two girls from class 2-D went up to the roof.

“None of these posts are any good!” Ryuji complained, one foot on the table, balancing his weight on the hind two legs of his chair. Morgana wondered if he were to jump and use Ryuji’s head as a jump off point to reach a higher level, would it send the boy toppling over? His hair made such a good target afterall...

“Everyone’s just bitchin’ about their parents or their boyfriends,” He groaned, continuing to scroll, “There ain’t even a hint of a hint about a new Palace...”

Ann sighed, she was also sitting in a chair, but like the respectable Lady she was, she had her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. 

“We can’t get everything online...” She conceded. “Finding a post with a name and a location IS asking a lot... not a lot of people are willing to just expose someone, you know?”

“Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!” Ryuji sighed loudly.

Morgana rolled his eyes as he licked his paw and cleaned the back of his ear with it. He needed to look presentable after all.

“Are you seriously suggesting that we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?” 

How stupid was this boy? Did the bleach seep into his brain or something?

Ryuji shrugged, looking defeated for the moment. “Yeah... Guess you’re right. We should prolly just hold off ‘til exams are done with, huh? We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin’ up empty-handed if it happens-”

The sound of the roof door creaking opened sent a shock down his spine. Quick! Hide! Morgana jumped from one desk to another, before quickly jumping down and scampering behind the makeshift garden, hiding in the shadows behind a box of tomatoes. 

It was that older student... the one from the library...

Her heard Ann give a small gasp, once she saw who it was too.

“This place is off-limits, you know.” She remarked, tucking a little piece of her short brown hair behind her ear.

Ryuji rolled his eyes at her, setting his chair back down and stretching his arms over dramatically. 

“Yeah, yeah We’ll get outta here once we’re done chattin’. Was that all, Miss Council President?” The mocking tone was audible to even Morgana from all the way in his hiding spot.

“The Troublemaker,” She gestured to Ryuji who glared and crossed his arms across his chest

“The center of gossip,” Ann now, who gave the girl a nasty look, and re-crossed her legs, gripping the edges of her chair.

“And the Infamous transfer student.” Akiko flinched a little under her upperclassmen’s gaze. “What an interesting combination.”

“That’s a great way to start a conversation.” Ann grumbled, narrowing her eyes pointedly at the brunette girl.

“By the way,” the older girl smiled, but Morgana didn’t feel any warmth from it, as she continued to speak to Akiko as if Ann hadn’t spoken at all.

“Rumor has it that you got to know Kamoshida-sensei...very well.”

“What was that?!” Ryuji snarled, jumping to his feet at the implication in her tone.

Morgana understood. If he could, he’d say something too, but it wouldn’t do any good. This rude girl would just hear him mewing like a cat.

“Those disgusting rumors about Aki-chan are just that!” Ann cried, also leaping to her feet. “Rumors!”

“Mmmhmmm.” The other girl hummed dismissively, crossing her arms in thought. “I hear that Kamoshida-sensei used a volleyball team member to spread the details of your... past record.”

Akiko nodded a little, silently taking the completely unwarranted attack on her character. He supposed that Ryuji had said she was the Student Council President... He guessed that meant they had to respect her to some degree? Or at least act respectful towards her?

Not that Ryuji seemed to care, but Akiko was certainly more formal than Ryuji...

“Don’t you hate him? Kamoshida-sensei I mean.”

Akiko didn’t reply right away, her hands twisting anxiously in front of her as she silently contemplated her next move, but Ryuji jumped in again, and Morgana had to give it to him, he was good at drawing attention to himself.

“Just what’s this all about? My friend here is an upstandin’ student and I don’t appreciate what you’re implyin’ about her!”

Morgana smiled a little. Well look at that... The boisterous baboon was good for something after all.

The Council President sighed and uncrossed her arms, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“I don’t mean to offend.” She explained, “Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-sensei. The rumors about that odd, calling card-esque postings aren’t going away either, so I’m just trying to investigate every option.”

Ann and Ryuji shared a sideways look, before Ann spoke up.

“I wouldn’t have expected someone like you to care about such baseless rumors, Niijima-senpai.”

“Anyway, are we done here? We can’t get off the roof if you keep us here by chattin’ our ears off.” Ryuji sneered, leaning farther back into his chair and placing his right ankle upon his left knee, stretching out comfortably.

The girl, Niijima, gave Ryuji a sour look, her manicured eyebrows furring in frustration. 

“At least try and understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay...” She spat, and for a moment Morgana felt like trembling in his paws. Woah. She could be scary when she dropped the nice girl act.

“Horseplay!?” Ann gasped, giving Niijuma a disbelieving look.

Niijima took a quick sharp sigh and set her face back to the small, snarking smile that she’d first worn when she approached them. “Ah yes, that reminds me. It’s been decided that this place will be closed off permanently, due to the incident. Not to mention there's been rumors of people coming up here. Without permission.”

Niijima gave them a short nod before she turned to leave. “I’m sorry to have interrupted you.” She said, as a formality, not even sparing them a glance over her shoulder before she walked away.

The second the door closed behind her, Ann jumped to her feet. “What was up her butt?” She asked, glaring at the door.

Morgana came out from his hiding spot and returned to the table.

“She’s onto us.” He announced, hoping that everyone else was already in agreement of that at least. “She seems sharp... We should be cautious of her.”

“God, she pisses me off.” Ryuji snarled, kicking at an empty chair, watching it slide a couple feet on the concrete rooftop.

“...We need to be careful.” Akiko spoke up, for the first time since they got to the roof, really. She slid her hands into her pockets and leaned against the large air conditioning unit behind them.

“Uuuugh, talk about a pain in the ass.” Ryuji rolled his eyes, sinking even further into his chair. He was going to destroy his posture, and then he’d be dumb, and even uglier.

“That reminds me, everybody should be studying hard. Not only would it be suspicious if your grades were to fall, but there are bound to be traps in future palaces that require using brain over brawn to solve.”

Ann offered a small smile. “I suppose studying isn’t so bad if we try and think of it like, training to be Phantom Thieves!”

“Lady Ann is right!” He nodded, his tail flicking happily behind him. “Everything you do to improve yourselves in your daily lives will have an impact on you in the Metaverse as well!”

“Well, in that care, I should hit the-”

“Wait!” Morgana cried, stopping Ryuji as he stood to leave. “I have somewhere really interesting that I wanna show you guys.”

When he received three confused looks, he grinned a toothy grin. “You did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all.”

“Huh?” Ryuji tilted his head.

“Mission?” Ann asked, looking lost

“Where are we going?” Akiko asked, gathering up her bag, ready to go wherever he may lead her.

“First stop! Shibuya!”

Next stop! Mementos!

\-------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> ⊂((・▽・))⊃
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this far, I've honestly just been blown away by the amount of support this fanfic has received and I want to give a very special thank you to every single person whose left a kudos or a comment or given me a bookmark, each and every one of you is so amazing and have have no idea how much the support means to me.
> 
> I started writing this because I had lost my job and was unemployed. 
> 
> I had spent a few weeks disassociating from reality by playing Persona 5 Royal and fell in love with the world and didn't want to leave it. 
> 
> That being said, I just got the call the other day and I am no longer unemployed!
> 
> My background check went through and they're calling me in tomorrow to sign some paperwork in person before they start training me, but hopefully they'll be putting me to work soon.
> 
> It means that chapters may unfortunately not come out as quickly as they have been, and I do apologize about that.
> 
> I have a cat whom I love beyond all reason and I need to be able to feed the little bastard, after all.
> 
> Sorry for the extremely long author's note, I just wanted to let you all know how much you all mean to me and that I really really appreciate all the support so far! 
> 
> Next time on Rolling Girl!
> 
> A small time skip perhaps?


	14. Chapter 14: Mishima, Sojiro, Ann.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very much Not-a-date! And some studying...

Chapter 14: Mishima, Sojiro, Ann. 

\------------------------------------

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and Yuuki was fairly certain he could hear the neighbourhood kids playing in the park across the street. 

The Mishima family lived in a fairly nice suburb just outside of the main downtown hub, in a relatively small home at the end of a fairly safe street. There was a small park that took up two lots across the street, with a slide, a set of swings, and a couple of rocking horses.

Yuuki hadn’t slept.

He’d been up all night working on the Phan-site, adding a few layers of security and gotchas to help stop the bots from posting. 

They still snuck in every now and then, but right now his biggest problem was the trolls. He couldn’t engage with them, he knew better than to feed the trolls, but there were just so many, he needed to cull the herd.

He was scrolling through the comments, hitting the little x button at the top right that he, as the sole moderator of the site, was allowed to use, and deleted comment after comment. 

His scrolling was interrupted by his phone chiming and vibrating on his computer desk next to his hand, startling him in his sleep deprived state.

Right... his alarm...

Turning away from the computer for now, and taking a moment to rub his tired, dry eyes, Yuuki grabbed his phone and slid the alarm off.

He unlocked his screen and opened up his messaging app.

Should he really message her now?

Maybe he should set another alarm?

Should he wait another hour?

Was it too early to message her now? Would it be considered rude?

Then again... It was ten in the morning now...if it were any other day of the week, they’d already be in school by now.

He glared down at the messaged that he’d typed out ages ago, and had almost sent without a second thought, but quickly realized that it had only been three am at the time and he didn’t want to risk disturbing her.

Before he could doubt himself any further, he hit the send button, watching his message fly from the keyboard to the display screen.

 **Mishima:** Hey! I saw on the forum! Great job stickin’ it to that stalker!

He’d seen the post on the forum last night, shortly after midnight. Apparently the stalker that was bothering his ex-girlfriend had sent her an email, apologizing profusely for his behavior and had promised, sworn on his life, that he would never bother her again.

Mishima hadn’t been surprised.

Kurusu Akiko was amazing! There was no way that she’d stand idly by while someone suffered.

Yuuki took a deep breath, and smiled a little to himself, rereading his message with pride.

He’d done it! He’d messaged her!

He quickly typed up a second message, his smile growing larger as he noticed that Kurusu got online to the messaging app, the circle around her name changing from a dull grey to a vivid red.

She was awake!

She was reading his messages!

 **Mishima:** My Phantom Aficionado Website came in handy, didn’t it?

As amazing and incredible as Akiko was, she would never have heard about that nasty stalker without his help!

His Phan-site was already proving useful to her and that made the lack of sleep so very worth it.

He watched with anxious delight as the little box that indicated she was typing popped up and the three dots bounced, one after another.

 **Kurusu:** I’m sorry?

 **Mishima:** No need to thank me! My satisfaction comes from a job well done!

 **Mishima:** So, anyway, I’m on my way to Shibuya right now.

He was not, but his stomach was rumbling and he didn’t want to walk through an empty house, into an empty kitchen, and eat breakfast all alone. He’d much rather head into the city and grab a coffee and a meal outside, while he had the option.

He needed a break from staring at his screen, or he felt like his eyes were going to dry up.

 **Mishima:** I’d love to talk to you about, you know, future plans ;)

 **Mishima:** If you have time, of course.

As he read back his massages, waiting for her reply, his gut dropped as he realized the implication to his previous message and quickly typed up some damage control.

 **Mishima:** Hold on! (o_0)

 **Mishima:** That was a conspiratorial wink!

 **Mishima:** Not a flirting wink! (>///<)

Yuuki could see that Akiko was still online, and was seeing his messages as soon as he sent them. That must mean that she was staring at her screen, just as he was. She was probably sitting in her bedroom, just like he was.

His stomach growled and he realized just how hungry he was. He had a small dinner the night before, and his only form of fuel while he’d pulled his all nighter was an energy drink that left him with a headache and a bouncy leg.

He should get some real food in him, and maybe some decent coffee? There was that place in Shibuya... that cafe with the comfortable booths?

Would... would Akiko be hungry too? Maybe... It would be fine right? It was for the Phan-site after all...

Yuuki bit his lip and hesitantly typed out his suggestion and hit send before he had the opportunity to second guess himself.

 **Mishima:** Anyway, I’ll be going to the diner in Shibuya, did you want to join me?

Oh shit he did it again! Crap! Crap! Crapcrapcrap!

His fingers flew across the screen and it was a miracle that he didn’t make any mistakes.

 **Mishima:** Just to talk! Not like a date or anything! Promise!

 **Mishima:** It’s about the website!

There was a long, tense moment in which Mishima didn’t breathe, watching the little black dots jump up and down as Akiko typed out a reply to his suggestion for an early brunch.

 **Kurusu:** Alright, I’ll be there in half an hour.

“YES!” Yuuki screamed, leaping to his feet. His limbs moved outside of his control as his feet danced about, and arms pumped up and down. His face felt like it was splitting apart from the force of his smile and he might have been laughing, he couldn’t tell he was so happy!

“Yes yes yes yesss~” He spun around, hugging his phone to his chest, grinning like a fool before flopping onto his bed and sighing loudly.

He’d done it. 

He’d made a totally ‘not-date’ with Akiko-chan!

Because it wasn’t a date! 

He knew that it couldn’t be a date.

He knew that dating would get her into trouble with the school, after all. Kamoshida-sensei had shown him her file while he’d been enlisting him in...destroying her reputation...

His gut twisted uncomfortably as he remembered his involvement. He’d never forgive himself really. He’d just have to put even more effort into the Phan-site to try and make up for it.

A glance to the left, had Yuuki looking at his reflection in the mirror that hung from the closet door and his smile dropped even further.

SHIT!

He was still in his pajamas!

He had to get dressed and brush his teeth and-

\----

By the time that Yuuki made it to the diner, he’d dozed off on the train twice and nearly missed his stop.

His lack of sleep was catching up to him, and to his dismay, his rush from the energy drink was draining fast.

He’d contemplated buying another bottle of green liquid from a vending machine, but he still had a slight headache from the one he’d chugged the night before so he decided against it. He’d get a coffee at the cafe, once he got there.

It wasn’t too long after he climbed the stairs from the underground walkway and emerged onto the busy central street that he saw that Akiko was already there and waiting for him.

He could see her figure standing near the entrance of the Cafe, leaning against the brick wall.

She was dressed simply, in jeans and a t-shirt, much like himself. He’d almost lost his mind while trying to get dressed that morning. He needed to play it casual, because this wasn’t a date, and he didn’t want to give anyone the impression it was, but he didn’t want Akiko-chan to think that he was a slob or anything!

He’d eventually settled on one of his newer pairs of cargo pants, and a graphic t-shirt that he’d found online and ordered a while ago.

“AK-! KURUSU-CHAN!” He called, raising a hand and waving to catch her attention as he jogged towards her.

She turned to face him and smiled softly, bowing gently in his direction as a greeting. He watched as her long dark tresses of hair tumbled over her shoulder.

“H-H-How are you? Did you find the cafe okay? Have you been waiting long?” Shit what time was it? Why didn’t he check his phone?Shit, how late was he? Shit shit shi-

Akiko shook her head, cutting off his train of thought. 

“I’m alright, Mishima-san. Don’t worry, I got here earlier than I thought I would.” She said easily, squashing his anxiety with just a few simple words and Yuuki could feel his lips pulling up at the corners beyond his control.

“H-Hehehe...” He rubbed the back of his neck. Wow. She didn’t speak much at school, so to hear her voice... to hear her speak to him like he was a friend...

He was about to say something- compliment her? Thank her for meeting with him? His train of thought was derailed as a yawn ripped its way through his throat and out his lips without his permission.

He quickly covered his mouth and with the crook of his elbow, pulling his arm all the way up. He quickly blinked the water that had built in the corner of his eyes as he offered Akiko an apologetic smile.

“Looks like I really need some Coffee! Are you hungry? I haven’t had breakfast yet, so I was gonna order something to eat.” He offered, gesturing up the stairs.

Akiko nodded silently, and Yuuki led the way into the cafe and because he’d been there before, he led the way to one of the nicer booths in a corner once they were inside.

A waitress was quick to come and take their orders. Yuuki ordered the omurice with the demi-glaze and a coffee. He waited patiently as his companion read over the menu, before ordering a coffee for herself and crepe with whip creme and strawberries.

While they waited for their food, Yuuki went to lean forward, but he felt a yawn coming, so he quickly covered his mouth again and turned his head away from Akiko until he got himself under control.

“So! How have things been?” He asked eagerly now that they were in a relatively private location and no one would over hear them. “You know, with the special activities?”

Before she could answer him, another yawn stretched his jaw apart and he had to dab at the corners of his eyes to remove the balls of water that had collected due to the force of his yawning.

“Opps! Hahaha sorry about that! I, uh, haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately.” He apologized, rubbing the back of his neck a little.

It was... Sunday today, and he’d started putting the Phan-site together on... Tuesday? It had gone live late Wednesday night, he remembered that. Had he gotten any sleep since then? He’d passed out at his keyboard a few times, but... when was the last time his head hit the pillow?

He shook his head a little. It didn’t matter.

It was for the Phan-site. Look at all the progress he’d made!

He’d modded the bot spam down to less than ten percent, and he’d been practically doing the work of a whole professional team really!

And all of his hard work had been validated! Because of his dedication, Akiko had been able to stop that stalker and the woman who had made the request had been so grateful for the help.

Akiko’s head tilted to the side, inquisitive prompting him to explain himself to her.

“I’ve been staying up late managing the Phan-site all night, every night. I think it’s technically PR?” 

That was an accurate comparison right? He was essentially the Phantom Thieves whole PR team!

“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt.” The waitress returned, a tray of plates and coffee cups balanced on her hand. She quickly placed each dish to their respective owners and bowed politely before leaving with a kind. “Please enjoy your meal~!”

Yuuki picked up his coffee cup and took a deep sip, sighing heavily. It was dark, bitter, and hot on his tongue, but it certainly made him feel a little more aware than he’d been just a moment ago.

He saw Akiko pick up her own cup, take a small sip, and quickly, she put it back down, pushing her cup and saucer to the side. Was it too hot for her? Was it too bitter for her? There was sugar and cream on the table... It must just be too hot.

His stomach growled impatiently as the smell of egg and demi-glaze sauce wafted up from his plate, and he picked up his utensils, quickly using his knife to cut into the surface of the egg, splitting it down the center to watch as the scrambled and golden insides over the small pile of rice that the egg had been laid to rest on.

Yuuki used the side of his fork to get a mouthful of rice and egg and quickly had to go back for another one. And then another.

The two sat in silence as they took the first few bites of their breakfasts. The sound of silverware clinking against plates filled the air. Yuuki eating his Omurice and Akiko, her crepe.

“...Managing the Phan-site?” Akiko’s question pulled Yuuki out of his head and back into the moment. It took him a second to remember what they’d been talking about before the waitress had interrupted him.

“The Phantom Thieves Aficionado website! The Phan-site for short!” He smiled brightly, taking another bite of his food. “Remember? We talked about it at school yesterday.”

She had to remember, they’d just talked about it! How else would she have found out about that stalker? 

“I just... wasn’t aware it had a shorter name...” Akiko mumbled, taking a small bite of her crepe, a small piece of strawberry staining the center of her lips a shiny red.

Yuuki swallowed tightly, his eyes locking in on that little smear of strawberry juice like it was a target and he was a sniper. He could feel his pulse racing, growing louder and louder in his ears. 

Was-? 

Was it warm in here? 

Oh boy-

“W-w-well, you need a catchy name if you want people to notice you, right? Hahah!” He coughed, trying to play it cool. He’d been staring at her far too long! Shit! Shit! Don’t be creepy Mishisma! 

“Think of it as a bit of... P-Thieves Propaganda!” He laughed nervously, looking anywhere but Akiko’s face.

“Propaganda?” Akiko repeated, a note of hesitation in her tone that had him scrambling to explain himself further. Shit! Maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words...

“Well, basically, there’s no point to taking down the bad guys if nobody’s gonna know about it...” He tried to explain, hoping that Akiko would see his point. She had to understand where he was coming from after all! They were on the same side! 

“That’s why I’ve started a blog for the people you’ve been saving, while filtering out the haters!”

“...you mean the Phantom Thieves’ have saved...” Akiko spoke softly, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Riiiight.” Yuuki offered her a conspiratorial wink. It made sense that she would want to remain anonymous. Kamoshida-sensei had certainly been the worst of them, but there were still plenty of horrible teachers at Shujin who would no doubt not approve of Kurusu Akiko being involved in anything related to the Phantom Thieves. 

It was like a secret identity! 

Perfect for a Phantom Thief! Of course!

Like she was a superhero or something! Or a magical girl in an Anime!

“Anyway, what I mean is, we need the Phantom Thieves to be seen in the proper light if we want to make the name popular, right?”

“...It... seems like a lot of work, Mishima-san.” Akiko sighed, setting her hands down to her lap.

“Well, you’re not wrong!” His wrists were aching and his fingers had cramped painfully multiple times, and he longed for sleep but...

“But it’s nothing compared to what you’re doing. I’m just... supporting from the shadows.”

She was the one doing...whatever it was she was doing, to save people. To change the bad guys and make them confess! 

Kurusu Akiko was incredible and he’d do everything in his power to help her in any way that he could.

“But there is one thing....I’m so curious.” He leaned a little closer, stretching his head and shoulders across the table so that he could whisper.

“How do you do it? How do you punish people? I really want to know...” Yuuki sighed and sank back into his seat. “But don’t worry! I won’t ask!”

Akiko gave him a wide eyed and confused look, tilting her head to the side. “....I’m sorry?”

Yuuki laughed and explained easily. “It wouldn’t be any fun if you just up and told me! After all, the Phantom Thieves have a reputation of being secretive!”

“O...okay then...” Akiko stuttered, looking even more confused by his response for some reason. “Thank you for being understanding?”

Of course he was going to be understanding!

This was Kurusu Akiko afterall! Thanks to her efforts, with the assistance of Sakamoto and Takamaki, somehow.

They were all heroes after all...

“I...I wish I could be more like you guys somehow.” He admitted softly.

They had seen the horrible situation that was happening with Kamoshida and had actually done something about it! They’d stood up to that... that injustice! And had won!

He’d only ever dreamed of standing up to his abusive coach, but when he’d been in that office with Kurusu and Sakamoto, he’d found the strength to speak his mind. To call Kamoshida on his disgusting behavior...

He’d never have been able to do that were it not for Kurusu Akiko...

“But!” He smiled, because he knew that even if there was no way that he’d be able to do whatever it was they could do, there was still something that he could do, that no one else could! 

“I’ll still be here to draw attention to all the amazing stuff you do! You can leave that part to me! I’m going to use my Phan-site to promote the Phantom Thieves, and weed out any negative comments!” 

He offered her a bright smile.

“Hehehe, your popularity is going to be at my mercy! Or my fingertips, I guess... Think of me as your strategic image management representative, so to speak.”

Akiko didn’t return his smile right away, instead she bit her lip and pinched her brow in thought. She avoided his gaze, turning to the wall before mumbling “...I...admire your enthusiasm, Mishima-san.”

She-

She really-?

The smile that broke across his face was beyond his control and he had to bite his lip to hold back the manic laugh that was threatening to spill forth.

SHE ADMIRED HIM!

She! Kurusu Akiko! Admired him!?

Mishima Yuuki!?

He... He wouldn’t let her down!

“Just you wait! I’m going to do everything in my power to prove that that title is more than just for show!” He promised.

All the sleepless nights he’d already had, and all the all-nighters left to come! They were all worth it!

Yet another yawn ripped it’s way past his lips, and he struggled to cover his mouth in time.

“I gotta say though, managing the Phantom Thieves' reputation is tiring work. The forum gets all sorts of weird posts, just a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with reforming society...It would totally defeat the purpose of the site if the truth of the Phantom Thieves’ ended up buried among all that garbage.” He sighed, shaking his head. He knew that the internet could be a toxic place sometimes, but he hadn’t expected to have to deal with so much of it so soon.

Akiko tilted her head to the side a little, offering him a concerned look.

“Oh but that’s not something that you should be worried about at all! Leave that part to me, I’ll sort through the trash.”

That was his job as their PR department right?

Maybe he should work on that title...if he introduced himself as the whole PR team, it would make the Phan-site seem small, unorganized... unprofessional.

“Speaking of which, I’ve actually already found some worthwhile info about our very own school! I’ll message you the details later, okay? Our quest to boost your popularity can start close to home! I swear, I’ll give it my all!”

“I....” Akiko started before she cut herself and offered a polite, “I appreciate your resolve Mishima-san.”

He felt this yawn coming on, and thankfully was able to cover his mouth in time. “I...I may be overworking myself, though.” He was yawning too much-

Just thinking about yawning triggered yet another yawn and the tears were building in the corner of his eyes again.

“Man, I’m exhausted. I think I may fall asleep on the spot if I weren’t talking to you.” Yuuki hoped that she didn’t take offense to that. He meant it in the best way! He would never be bored by her presence. 

“I should take that as my cue to head home. I should try and take a nap or something.” He shuffled out of the booth and stretched a little. “I’ll pay the bill at the front, don’t worry about it. I invited you after all!”

Akiko looked like she was about to protest, but she sighed a little and nodded, accepting his offer. “...get home safely Mishima-san.”

“T-Thank you Ku-Kurusu-chan!” Yuuki smiled. She was so kind and thoughtful! “Same to you! And thank you for coming to meet me today! I had a wonderful time!”

His eye widened in horror as his voice cracked over the both the words ‘wonderful’ and ‘time’

No! Why now!?

His face flushed brightly and he quickly turned heel and practically ran to the front desk so that he could pay the waitress and leave before he could embarrass himself further.

He paid with his debit card and quickly left the cafe, refusing to look back at Kurusu-chan.

God, why then of all the times!?

\----

His house was empty when he got home, but he wasn’t surprised, it had been when he’d left, and it wasn’t likely that his Dad would be back home for a few days.

Mishima Shuichi, his father, was a fairly renowned surgeon in the emergency department of the Tokyo University Hospital and his shifts were usually several days long.

He removed his shoes in the entryway and shuffled back up the stairs to his bedroom. He quickly shed himself of his cargo pants, sliding back into his pajama pants and stretching his arms above his head, yawning for what felt like the millionth time.

He’d just check the Phan-site really quickly, and then he’d take a nap....

Yuuki sank into his comfortable gaming chair and double tapped his space bar, giving the wireless mouse a quick wiggle to spring the computer back to life.

His monitor flicked on and he was greeted with the familiar homepage of the Phan-site.

A quick refresh later, he started to scroll through the message board once more.

‘What a fucking joke.’

‘Who comes up with this shit?’

‘LMAAAOOOO! This is so lame!’

‘I heard the only reason Kamoshida talked is because that transfer student slept with him and blackmailed him into doing it! Lol!’

‘LOL i heard the same thing!’

‘Can I get my boyfriend to change? He needs to pay more attention to me!’

‘Why else would the school bring in a hooker? I bet she slept with the Principal too!’

‘EWWW he’s so fat and gross! What a freak!’

‘What a fucking joke! Who wastes their time making this shit? Delete this website and delete yourself OP LOL!’

‘Change my Dad! Make him give me more money!’

‘LOLOLOL what a waste of server space!’

He quickly deleted them, but he knew that it wouldn’t do him any good to just delete the comments if the people who were posting them could come back and just post the same garbage again!

He couldn’t say entirely what possessed him to call Akiko.

Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was that voice in the back of his head that kept replaying to him saying over and over that ‘She admires you’....

Before he could question it further, he heard Akiko pick up.

“Moshi moshi?”

“Hey Kurusu-chan! Listen to this! I was checking on the Phan-site earlier, and found a bunch of hate comments about Yo-” Nope nope nope nope stop! He already deleted the comments! She most likely hadn’t seen them, and now never would! And what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, right?

“...The Phantom Thieves! Hate comments about the Phantom Thieves.” He quickly covered, and very smoothly if he said so himself. “Ugh, they got me so mad, I’m not even sleepy anymore! At this point, I might even pull another all-nighter fighting back!”

Akiko was silent for a long moment before her gentle voice sighed through the receiver “... Mishima-san? M-may I speak my mind?

“Hmm? Of course Kurusu-chan!” She could always tell him anything! He had promised he that he’d be there for her after all! “But if you’re worried, don’t be! I’m your strategic image management rep, after all! It’s not a problem for me!”

“....I... You don’t....Nevermind.” Akiko started and stopped several times, before settling with a slightly reserved sounding sigh. “Thank you for all of your hard work, manager-san.”

M-m-manager-san!?

“Hehehe! I’m gonna work my butt off, just watch me!” He promised, extremely grateful that Akiko wasn’t able to see just how flushed his face had gotten.

“Anyway, I should go, I got the website loaded up and I need two hands to type. Time for another wild night of modding and banning! Bye Kurusu-chan! See you at school tomorrow!”

Setting his phone aside with a smile, Yuuki cracked his fingers and shoulders. He had some typing to get to!

\----------------------

“Hey, Kid.”

Akiko looked up at Sojiro, returning to the cafe just shortly after noon. She’d left in the morning to go meet a friend for breakfast, she’d said. Sojiro hadn’t questioned her on the subject, and waved her off. It was good that she was making friends, he just hoped it was with the right kind of people...

It was now several hours later and she was holding a small plastic bag with the logo of a well known book store chain on the front. He could see from the shapes of the contents of the bag that it was indeed, just some new book.

“You got exams coming up soon right?” Sojiro asked, rhetorically, he knew that exams were soon, he’d had a conversation with her probation officer about it just the other day. “You should be studying your butt off. There’s no way you’ll be able to be accepted into any reputable colleges if you have a record and shitty grades.”

Akiko nodded mutely, clutching her book bag tighter. She seemed to shrink in on herself under the weight of his words and he had to sigh. 

Why are you trying to make him feel bad, kid? He thought to himself. He was right! He was just offering sound advice.

“You’re welcome to use the booths to study in.” He gestured to the wall of comfortable seats across from him. “Just make sure to clean up after yourself, I don’t want to find eraser shavings everywhere.”

“T-Thank you Boss.” Akiko replied, offering him a polite smile. “Did... Did you need any help? What needs cleaning?”

“Did you not hear a word I just said? You need to be studying!” He offered a light glare, keeping a smirk on his mouth to convey that he was just giving her a hard time, he wasn’t really upset that she was offering to help him clean.

“I...I can at least help with the dishes...” Akiko insisted and Sojiro wasn’t going to stop her if she really wanted to wash the curry plates in the sink.

“Have at it kid, but afterwards, you’re going to study for the rest of the night, got it?”

Akiko accepted that deal quickly, and darted upstairs to put her backpack and new books away. She returned a few moments later, and quickly got to work, cleaning the contents of the sink while Sojiro tied up around the bar and worked on his crossword puzzle.

“So, are you feeling confident for the exams?” Sojiro asked, breaking the comfortable silence after a moment of enjoying it himself.

Akiko shrugged a little, giving a noncommittal humm in reply.

“Oh? What’s got you worried?” He asked, setting his newspaper aside as he leaned forward in his seat a little. “Is it math? You know, believe it or not, I actually did pretty well at math when I was in school. Want me to quiz you while you scrub?”

Akiko glanced at him over her shoulder, her grey eyes twinkling behind her glasses at him and a small smile on her lips.

“T-That’s okay Boss...” She declined, nodding politely. “I... I should be fine for math.”

“Oh yeah? What’s thirty five times ninety seven?” He asked, reaching into his pocket to pull out his calculator. He’d just taken a few seconds to unlock his screen with the pattern idea lock when Akiko’s voice startled him.

“Three thousand, three hundred and ninety five.” 

He was so shocked at her speedy reply that he almost forgot what his original question was. He quickly opened his calculator and doubled checked, and well he’ll be damned.

“Shit kid, you gotta have a calculator hidden in that hair of yours.” He smirked, teasing gently.

Akiko shook her head, smiling back at him, so Sojiro took that as his que to continue testing her while she scrubbed away.

“Give me.... Four hundred and seventy seven divided by four.”

That one took Akiko a moment longer and Sojiro watched, intrigued and her eyes seemed to follow an invisible equation in the air, muttering number after number her breath to herself as she did the mental math before eventually answering with the correct answer, once again according to his phone.

“One hundred and nineteen point two five."

“Give me.... Fourteen thousand eighty nine times twenty seven.”

“Three hundred eighty thousand, four hundred and three.”

This continued for a while until Akiko pulled the plug on the sink to let the dirty dishwater drain. Sojiro rose from his seat and gave a big stretch. It was hardly even one in the afternoon.

“Well, that’s enough math from my head. You got other things to study? History? English? I can’t help you there kid, you’re on your own for those ones.”

“I... I should be okay.” Akiko smiled, before she bowed deeply. “Thank you very much for helping me study with my math, Sakura-san. I really appreciate it.”

“Sheesh, what have I told you about calling me that? Boss is fine.” He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck to try and distract himself from the slight flush on his cheeks. 

“Get to studying, you brat. You better be in the top fifty percent of your class, you hear me?”

Akiko nodded and headed up stairs to gather her books and notes before she returned down to the cafe and slipped into the booth closest to the back.

The rest of the night passed by peacefully, no more customers joined them and the late afternoon went by easily as Akiko studied in the Cafe, and Sojiro worked on his crossword and watched the news.

He gave her a plate of curry and rice just before he left for the evening, closing early so that he could go work on dinner for Futaba and himself at home.

“Night kid, remember to get some sleep.” He called over his shoulder, as he closed the door behind himself.

Studying meant nothing if she fell asleep during her exams after all.

\----------------------------

Monday mornings were never Ann’s favorite thing to deal with, but she brightened quickly when she looked up from her phone and saw just exactly who it was who was standing up from the vending machine just a few feet away, a bottle of vitamin water in hand and about to head to the same train she was.

“AKI-CHAN!” Ann called out, waving her arm above her head to catch her friends attention. She saw the familiar mass of black hair turn, and once Akiko noticed her, she stopped her face and waited for Ann to catch up.

Ann rushed forward, putting a little pep in her step as she ran up beside Akiko and smiled brightly at her.

“Morning!” She chimed happily. The two of them, now that they were side by side, began to walk through the underground walkway, and down towards the subway lines.

“...M-morning.” Akiko mumbled back, not seeming to be nearly as enthusiastic as Ann was this morning.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“I-...” Akiko started before shaking her head dismissively. “It’s nothing... I’m being stupid.”

“Aki-chan...” Ann sighed, her smile dropping into a slight frown. 

Why wasn’t Akiko talking to her? 

They were friends right? 

She’d tried to be patient, and let Akiko approach her at her own pace, and if Ann was being totally honest with herself she did acknowledge that she maybe wasn’t making herself the most available of friends...

It was true that unless it was specifically for Phantom Thief business, Ann had been choosing to spend one hundred percent of her free time with Shiho in the hospital.

Ann’s gut twisted a little and she bit her lip. 

She... wasn’t being a very good friend was she? 

So far, Akiko had been the only one to give anything in their friendship. Akiko gave her a shoulder to cry on when things had reached the breaking point with Kamoshida. Akiko gave her hope and strength when she’d needed it most, inspiring her to awaken to her true self! Akiko had given her guidance when she’d needed it, helping her get her revenge...and what had Ann offered?

“Akiko-chan.” Ann said firmly, grabbing Akiko by the hand, stopping their pace. The flow of traffic around them continued, like an endless river of people.

“You’re my friend, right?”

“I... yes?” Akiko looked confused, so Ann continued.

“Well, I don’t appreciate it when people call my friends stupid!” Ann frowned, giving Akiko’s hand a squeeze. “Unless it’s Ryuji. He’s kinda a moron.”

“He....he’s not that bad...” Akiko mumbled, defending Ryuji and avoiding the conversation, Ann noted. That was another point towards her theory, but that was NOT the conversation they were having at that moment.

“So not the point right now!” The blonde girl gave her friends hand another squeeze. “Whatever’s bothering you, it isn’t stupid, Aki-chan!”

“A-ann-chan...” Akiko's normally schooled expression was taken over by one of naked shock. Ann watched as Akiko took a moment to fully register her words before she smiled softly and nodded a little. “O...okay. T-Thank you.”

“So!” Ann chirped, taking a step forward and prompting Akiko to walk with her. She hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and until Akiko needed it back, Ann intended to keep it that way.

“Let’s start that conversation over again, shall we?” Ann smiled. “What’s wrong with, my friend Aki-chan, today?” 

Akiko used her free hand to fiddle with a piece of her bangs, pulling at the frizzy ends that hung down in front of her face. “I just.... I thought I felt like someone was watching me, I guess...”

“Watching you?” Ann gave Akiko a look before looking behind them, trying to see if there was anyone suspicious around. Now that she mentioned it, Ann was getting the feeling of eyes on the back of her neck.

“I told you, it’s silly. Don’t worry about it” Akiko dismissed, taking her hand back from Ann’s grasp so that she could fish her transit card out of her bag. “Let’s hurry, we don’t want to miss our train.”

“R-Right.” Ann agreed, but she wasn’t able to brush it off as easy as Akiko was, now that she was aware of it. Someone was staring at them, she could just feel it. 

She hated it, it made her skin crawl.

“A-anyway, how was your sunday? What did you get up to?” Ann asked, happy to change the subject.

Thankfully, the feeling of unwanted eyes in their direction vanished once they got onto the train to Shujin. Once the feeling passed, it was much easier to dismiss it as paranoia.The two spent the rest of the train chatting easily about what they did over their sundays, and talked about homework and the upcoming exams.

Akiko lived above a Cafe? And the owner let her work in the store part time? 

That was so cool! 

No wonder Akiko always faintly smelled of coffee beans and spices.

For the first time in a long time, Ann didn’t think a monday might not be so bad! 

She got to spend her transit to school hanging out with a friend and it was almost a sure thing that they’d be spending lunch together too!

Hopefully the rest of the week would be as good as now.

\-------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this chapter, even if we didn't move the story forward a lot...
> 
> Next time on Rolling Girl: Exam Results?!


	15. Chapter 15: Ryuji, Maruki, Ryuji.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Counselors, Stalkers?, And no exam results just yet because Author made a slight miscalculation.

Chapter 15: Ryuji, Maruki, Ryuji.

\-----------------------

Exam week had been rough.

Too many of his study sessions alone in his room turned into sleepless nights gaming, and his brain felt like slush after he'd wracked it over and over for answers that he was sure he’d heard in class at one point but could no longer clearly recall.

He hadn’t finished the Math exam, he knew that for sure. He’d left at least ten questions unanswered in that section alone and he was pretty sure that alone would fail him on that. He’d finished the History exam, though he wasn't really very confident in the majority of his answers. By the time it came to the English exam, he’d taken to just muttering the different answers under his breath and selecting the best sounding ones, in his opinion. He couldn’t even remember what the Social Studies exam had been about at this point.

While he’d rather the faculty had just let them sleep in for the day, but he’d take a stupid mandatory assembly over another exam any day, even if it meant they'd just have to do the exam tomorrow.

Principal Kobyayakawa had been blabbering on for hella too long now and Ryuji was only half paying attention if he was honest. He could see that Ann and Akiko were standing next to each other in their class line. 

He wished that he’d been able to stand closer to them so he could try and talk to them.

This shit was so booorring!

“Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore.” Ryuji hated how they refused to name it. Like, where they all so fucking afraid and ashamed that they couldn’t even say Suzui’s name? What a bunch of cowards...

“We here at Shujin, believe that the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we’ve acquired the services of a therapist. The floor is yours, Doctor...”

Ryuji watched with a raised brow as a man in a white doctor's coat came out onto the stage. The guy looked kinda young, maybe Kawakami-sensei’s age, with messy brown hair and glasses. The guy wasn’t even wearing proper shoes! He had slippers on!

“Isn’t he hot?” He heard a student from his right whisper and he had to look over his shoulder and try and find which girl said that. The hell? The guy was a slob! How was that hot?

“It's...” The scruffy looking man hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It’s nice to meet you all.” 

“Woah, his voice is so sexy.” That voice sounded different from the other girl and Ryuji was just getting really confused at this point.

The hell was wrong with these girls? The guy sounded like he was half awake!

“My name is-” Ryuji turned back around to see the man stop his introduction and fiddle with the microphone a little. There had been some weird feedback or something there.

“My name is Takuto Maruki.” The man declared, smiling out at the sea of students. “Thank you all, for welcoming me into your school.”

Ryuji had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from cracking up when the man bowed and smashed his head into the microphone he’d just been using.

What a clown!

“T-There’s no need to be formal with me.” The man, Maru or whatever, laughed a little, trying to play off his blunder. “I’m here to counsel anyone who's interested. You can even call me Doc, if that would make you feel more comfortable. I’m here to assist you with any troubles... well, actually, don’t come to me with money problems, I’m not actually the best at those myself.”

That drew a flock of tittering laughter from, not only the girls who’d been talking behind him, but several other pockets of the female students in the hall.

What the hell was going on!?

Principal Kobayakawa took control of the mic again, with a dismissive. “Thank you, Doctor Maruki.”

The rest of the assembly wasn’t even worth paying attention to, and Ryuji found his gaze wandering around the stage, doing dumb things like looking for patterens in the curtains or counting how many lights were on each metal cross beam.

Thankfully, once the students were set free for lunch, he caught up with Ann and Akiko.

“Yo!” He grinned, running up behind the two girls who had been heading towards the student store, probably to buy lunch or some snacks.

They turned and faced him, stopping their walk in the middle of the walkway between the two buildings.

“You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?” He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving a sigh. It was honestly ridiculous how it seemed they thought that they could brush Kamoshida away from the school, just bring in some joke of a Doctor to try and clean up his mess, like it never happened.

“Well, our school has made national news.” Ann pointed out, “Maybe they just figured they’d look even worse if they didn’t do anything for us.”

“But that Doctor...” Ryuji sighed, “Doctor whatshisname.”

“Maruki.” Ann instantly corrected and Ryuji scoffed. Hopefully she wasn’t in the same boat as all those other girls.

“Wasn’t that guy just basically clownin’ it up onstage?” He shook his head. “Do either of you think he’ll actually do us any good?”

“Ryuji-” Ann hissed, giving him an odd look, looking at Ryuji himself, then something just to the left of him. 

What the hell was she-

He turned and felt a rock drop in his gut.

“Hey there!” Smiled the very subject of their conversation, Doctor Maruki. Standing just inches behind him.

There was a long moment of awkward silence, Ryuji unsure exactly how much the Doctor had heard, and just what he was doing here in the first place.

“Sakamoto-kun,” Maruki nodded at him, before turning his attention to Ann, “And Takamaki-san, right? That must make you... Kurusu-san.” 

Ryuji frowned, taking a step forward. “How d’you know our names?” He asked defensively. 

The Doctor laughed and scratched at his hair a little. “Well, I was informed about certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those who had had...previous interactions with Kamoshida-sensei.”

So the school was talking about them? That couldn’t be good...

Maruki continued, turning his attention back to Akiko. “Kurusu-san, it must’ve been especially hard on you, have just transferred here.”

“I... yes, sir.” Akiko mumbled, ducking her head down to avoid the Doctors gaze.

Ryuji whipped his head around to stare at Akiko. What? Was she for real?

Had things really been so hard for her? She’d just got here. It wasn’t like she had to deal with Kamoshida for very long.

But then again, the rumors that were going around were pretty nasty. Ryuji had ears. He'd heard what his classmates said.

It wasn't kinda, that's for sure...

Ryuji felt his gut twist and he took a step back.

He felt like a jerk now.

He didn’t have the right to think that just because Akiko hadn’t been here for as long as he had that she wouldn’t still be upset by what had happened. Especially after the other bullshit that she’d been through with that jerk in the car and her criminal record...

“I can certainly understand that.” Maruki sighed sympathetically, offering Akiko a soft look.

“So what-” Ryuji cut in, clearing his throat a little. That look on the Doctors face was too close to pity for his liking. “Whaddya want with us?” 

“Ah yes, I’d almost forgotten.” Maruki laughed a little at his own expense, “I know that I already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you three be interested in counseling?” 

“Nope, not at all.” Not today, not ever thank you very much. Ryuji wasn’t the ‘Sit down and talk about our feelings’ kinda guy. He was more a ‘Run it out until you were too tired to think or be mad anymore’ kinda guy, you know?

“H-huh?” Maruki seemed completely taken aback by his answer and like, really?

“How’s that surprising?” There was no way that Ryuji was the first kid to say no to this guy. There was just no way.

Maruki, bafflingly, didn’t get mad at Ryuji, or scold him for his lack of respect or whatever. The brunette man just simply laughed and admitted. “You were just a touch more emphatic about it than I’d expected...”

Emphatic....emphatic... had he heard that word before? Had it been on the english exam?

“Ah! But, if you come to my office, you can have free snacks!”

Ryuji raised a brow at that one. Seriously dude? They’d been raised on the concept of stranger danger. They knew better than to be bribed with snacks of all things! Did he realize that he was dealing with sixteen year olds and not six year olds?

“All you can eat~... would be nice, but there’s still plenty to go around!” Maruki coaxed, poorly. “So, how’s about it?”

“...what sort of snacks?” Akiko asked quietly and Ryuji felt his jaw drop. 

Really?!

He wasn’t the only one apparently. Ann grabbed Akiko by the arm, pulling the smaller girl closer to her side.

“Hey! Don’t fall for that!” the blond girl hissed at her friend, giving her arm a shake as if to rattle some sense into her.

Maruki sighed and raised a hand in a peaceful gesture. “I’ll be frank... I’ve been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Kamoshida-sensei.”

So that was why...

“It’s in the school’s interest for its students.” He tried to explain and Ryuji was getting sick of it.

“Riiight. The school’s interest.” Ryuji crossed his arms and gave the man a hard look. He’d figured him out. He didn’t give a shit about any of the kids here, he was just here to do a job for the school’s interest.

Maruki frowned sadly, clearly sensing the distrust from Ryuji. “I... I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot, and making it mandatory wouldn’t be fair to you, either. Maybe...” Makuri brought a hand to his chin in thought.

“Might as well turn this into a worthwhile experience for everyone.... Oh! I know!” He slammed the hand that had been on his chin into his other hand. “If you attend my counselling sessions, I can help teach you kids different ways to improve your mental acuity! Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates! Sound fair?”

“Uhh...” Ann looked unsure, and Ryuji couldn’t blame her. 

“And snaaaackss~” Maruki sing-sung at them.

“Alright! Alright! Enough with the snacks!” He was too damn hungry for this! They had a lunch break to get to! Ryuji turned to look at Akiko for her opinion. She was technically the leader after all.

“Whaddya think?”

Akiko shrugged a little, looking down at the floor. “...there’s no harm in a chat, I suppose..”

Ryuji sighed heavily. He’d really hoped that wasn’t what she was gonna say, but then again- “I guess it’d just be more trouble for us if we didn’t go.” He thought aloud, relenting to his circumstances.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ann agreed, reluctantly letting go of Akiko’s arm but still sticking close to her side.

“R-Really?” Don’t sound so shocked dude, it was your dumb idea in the first place. Ryuji rolled his eyes. He’d do it too, but he’d procrastinate as long as possible. 

“Then I guess we have a deal! I spend most of my time in the nurse's office. Feel free to come by whenever it’s convenient for you.”

“‘Kay, got it,'' Ryuji waved a hand dismissively, “Welp! We should should get goin’.” He started to walk off, leading the way for the girls to follow after him. 

“Okay! I’ll see you kids later!” Maruki called after them cheerfully as they walked away and Ryuji did little to hide his eye roll, now that the Doctor was behind them

Seriously, what a clown.

It wasn’t until he opened the door to the building and only Ann slipped in with him, did he look over his shoulder and see that Akiko had fallen behind. She was still with that doctor, and the two were speaking quietly.

“Hey!” He called out, to get Akiko’s attention. “Come on! Lunch time!” He reminded her.

Akiko nodded at him, turning to Doctor Maruki and bowing slightly, before jogging over to Ryuji.

“Heck was that about?”

“...nothing. He just wanted to say thank you for accepting his offer.”

“What a dork.” 

\-----

**Ryuji:** Yo.

 **Ryuji:** You guys gonna go for it?

 **Ann:** What? Counseling?

 **Ann:** It doesn’t really seem like we have a choice.

 **Ann:** Kawakami-sensei did just literally say that the School decided to make it mandatory for certain students sooo...

 **Ryuji:** I know that we agreed with the Doc for now, but...

 **Ryuji:** I dunno if I really wanna do it at all, you know?

 **Akiko:** I plan to go.

 **Ann:** Yeah, same.

 **Ann:** Probably better not to draw more attention to ourselves anyway.

 **Ann:** Actually, I’ll go see him after class today!

 **Akiko:** I’ll try and see him after you, then.

 **Ann:** Aww thanks Aki-chan!

Seriously? Ryuji groaned and sunk into his seat a little.

What the hell? Wasn’t he the only one who didn’t want to spend time with that guy?

Uuuugh Fine! Looks like it was just him again after school today.

He’d hit up the arcade and take a crack at the high scores again. 

Or he could try and get some training done at the gym...

Technically there was one more day of exams left, but if Ryuji was pretty sure if he studied any harder his brain would ooze out of his ears like a paste.

Yeah, it was an arcade kinda day!

With that decision in mind, Ryuji went back to squarely not paying attention in class.

\------------------------

It wasn’t too long after the last school bell had rung and Takuto was just finishing up the arrangement of the nurses’ office to better suit his purposes now that it was technically under his control. Well, half of it at least. 

The chair and sofa set would do, they were soft and comfortable, and the table was a decent size, even if he wished it was slightly higher....

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Oh? Was it possibly another staff member wishing to speak with him, wish him luck and welcome him to the school?

“Yes? Come in.” He called out, and he was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Takamaki Ann walked into the nurses’ office, closing the door behind her as she looked around and took in the rearagments he’d done.

What an odd turn of events. He certainly wasn’t expecting to be able to speak to her so soon.

“Ummm... I.....” Takamaki-san started nervously, obviously unsure of where to start. 

Takuto smiled in what he hoped was a calming manner. He’d be glad to help her with whatever she needed.

“Welcome.” He greeted gently. “Are you here for a counseling session?”

Takamaki-san nodded and adjusted her bag. “Yeah, is...is now a bad time?”

“Of course not! As long as I’m not already listening to another student, it’s never a bad time. Please take a seat.” He gestured towards the couch. Well, couch was a generous term for it. It was certainly wider than his own chair, but maybe it was more of a loveseat sort of situation?

“I’m so glad that you decided to come to a counseling session, may I offer you any snacks? Tea maybe?”

Ann slipped her bag off of her shoulder and put it onto the chair before she sat down next to it. “Tea would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Hot tea, coming right up.”

It didn’t take long for Maruki to prepare a cup of tea for Ann, leaving the bag in it for her own preference in steeping, and a juice box for himself.

He found a clipboard from his deck and opened his drawer to find a new patient sheet for him to start working on.

“So, Takamaki-san, shall we get started?” He asked, taking a seat.

\---------

It wasn’t long after Takamaki had left, had he been approached by Yoshizawa-san!

He’d been shocked to see her striking red hair and ribbon in the crowd of students. He hadn’t been aware that this was her new high school, but it was a pleasant surprise. It was always nice to see a familiar face.

“Doctor Maruki! You have no idea how shocked I was to see you!” 

“Ahaha, I would expect about half as shocked as I was to see you here!” Takuto laughed easily. Yoshizawa was such a sweet patient. He was so glad that he’d been able to help her...

“I must admit, I thought I was going a little crazy myself when I saw your face in the crowd, but then I bumped my head and you were still there, so-” He joked, enjoying the easy smile that overtook Yoshizawa’s face. She deserved to be happy, especially after all she’s had to suffer through.

“Ahahahaha Doctor Maruki, don’t say that!” She laughed, easily before her attention turned to her left. He followed her gaze and was pleasantly surprised to see Kurusu Akiko, slowly approaching them, looking hesitant.

“Oh! Senpai! It’s nice to see you again.” Yoshiwaza greeted happily. “Are you here for a session as well?”

Kurusu nodded silently, keeping her arms close to her chest as she nervously twisted her grip on her school bag straps.

Yoshizawa beamed. “Oh that’s so good to hear! Doctor Maruki is a wonderful counselor, I’m sure he’ll be able to help you! I’ve actually been seeing him myself, for a few months before either of us came to Shujin!”

Takuto raised a brow. Oh? What an interesting development...

“Yoshizawa-san, I wasn’t aware that you two were acquainted.” That was interesting... But a positive sign. It would be good for Yoshizawa to make some friends around her own age.

“Please, don’t go over selling me too hard though. I’m really nothing special.”

He knew very well that he couldn’t save everyone...

He was far too aware that he was just so limited in his power to help others...

“Well, I need to get to practice.” Yoshizawa bowed, and turned on her heel. “Please excuse me, and have a wonderful day Doctor Maruki! You too Senpai!”

Takuto and Kurusu watched as Yoshizawa ran off towards the gym, her long red hair bouncing along behind her.

“Well, Kurusu-san, you mentioned you were here for a session?” He asked, once his patient was out of sight, turning his attention to the teenager standing beside him.

She nodded once more, her messy black locks falling into her eyes for a moment before she adjusted her bangs.

“Well, let’s get started, shall we?” He gestured into the office, letting her step inside first so that he could close the door behind her.

“Please, sit, make yourself comfortable.” Takuto offered, heading over to his desk so that he could grab another new patient form and set Takamaki’s file aside for later.

“Can I offer you anything? Snacks? Water? Juice? Tea?”

“...tea please?" It was small, and had he not been listening for it, Takuto was positive that he would have missed it.

“Tea. Coming right up.” He quickly made yet another cup of tea, taking the time that it took to boil the water to wash and clean the tea cup set that Takamaki had used and get it ready for Kurusu.

“Were you certain you didn’t want any snacks? I have plenty.” He offered, lifting up the small wooden bowl full of fruit snacks and small treats that he could easily purchase in bulk.

“N-no thank you, sir.”

“Hahaha, Doc is fine. Or Doctor Maruki, or hey, you could even just call me Maruki if you wanted. You don’t have to call me sir.” Takuto laughed easily, trying to help ease her nerves. It was clear that she was uncomfortable here, and he wanted to do his best to help change that.

When she didn’t offer a verbal reply to that, Maruki looked up and saw that Akiko was not looking at him, but was in fact sitting stiffly on the couch, just as nervous and on edge as Takamaki had been, if not more so. He could see her hands were clenched tightly over each knee, so hard her knuckles had gone white.

The shrill screech of the tea kettle drew him back to his tea making and it wasn’t long until he was sitting back in his chair, setting a cup of tea in front of Kurusu and sipping at his own juice box.

“So, first, I want to welcome you to my office,” He gestured around his humble little corner of the nurse's office and smiled. “And second, I want to thank you for coming to see me.”

Akiko lifted her head slightly, and he caught a glimpse of her sharp grey eyes from behind her glasses for a moment before the light hit them in such a way it was hard for him to see past her thick lenses.

“...I...I’m a little nervous.” She admitted softly and Maruki offered her a smile.

“Haha, you really don’t have to be so tense.” He tried to calm her. “We’re just going to have an ordinary conversation, that’s all.”

“An...Ordinary conversation?”

“Mmhmm. Like friends. We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, Kurusu-san.” 

Akiko bit her lip and sighed, avoiding his gaze as she looked back down at her tea cup.

“...okay...” She conceded softly.

“Okay.” Maruki smiled, taking another sip of his juice box. “So, Kurusu-san, it’s been more than a few weeks since you started school here, yes? How are you enjoying Shujin so far?”

Akiko’s hands lifted and began to mindlessly fiddle with a lock of her hair.

“It... It’s different.” She finally offered after a moment. “It’s a lot bigger than my old school.”

“Your file says that you used to live in a town called Nanbu correct? I’m afraid to say that I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting.” 

He’d never heard of it, honestly, but he didn’t need to tell her that.

“Could you tell me a bit about it?”

Akiko gave him a small glance before she picked up her tea cup. She hesitantly took a small sip and quickly set it back down. She licked her lips and frowned a little before she pushed the cup aside. 

Make a note to buy fresh tea bags. His collection must be getting old.

“It’s small...” She offered stiffly. “Pretty. There’s a lot of flowers.”

“That sounds beautiful. Do you enjoy gardening, Kurusu-san?”

Akiko shrugged a little. “...I have a plant in my room... I’ve been feeding it special nutrients.”

“Oh? That’s so kind of you!”

Kurusu shrugged again and Maruki was beginning to get the idea that getting any information from this girl might be like getting blood from a stone.

Things were quiet for a moment as he quickly jolted some notes down. Kurusu offered nothing to fill the silence, so once he was done, Maruki continued.

“You said Nanbu was pretty. Do you miss it there?”

“No.”

Takuto looked up, rather shocked by the sudden sharpness in the teenager's tone.

“Oh? You’re enjoying life here in Tokyo more?” He pressed. "What about your family back home? Don't you miss them?"

Akiko didn’t answer him right away, and Maruki suspected that if she started at the coffee table any harder, it might burst into flames.

“...It’s not like I can go back while I’m on probation, anyway.” She finally settled and Takuto had to admire her resilience. 

“Kurusu-san, I will be honest with you, the school gave me a brief rundown of the circumstances surrounding your transfer here.” 

“It’s.... it’s in the past.” Akiko offered and Maruki leaned a little forward in his chair.

“While I admire your efforts to be strong, I think we’ve both heard the rumors that have been going around.”

Takuto could see Akiko's jaw line tighten as she clenched her teeth.

“Kurusu-san-”

“I didn’t sleep with Kamoshida-sensei.” She snapped sharply, cutting him off.

“And I never assumed you did.” 

Kurusu’s grey eyes locked with his own and Takuto offered her a smile. 

“Rumors and gossip can be so exhausting. Are you holding up okay?”

Akiko stuttered over her words for a moment before offering a small. “I’m okay now.”

“But you weren’t before, I take it?” Maruki noted her particular wording, locking in on the hidden meaning between the lines. “Try not to push yourself too hard okay?”

Once again, there was no response for the raven haired girl before him. 

“You know, now that you’ve told me more about yourself, I think I’ve come to realize something. It seems to me that you largely reconcile your internal world with your external one.”

Akiko raised an eyebrow at him, so he continued.

“I should note, that’s really, truly impressive. Even more adults can’t reliably manage that.”

“I... I don’t understand, Doctor.”

“How to put it... You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves that they’re striving for? Like, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on... That kind of thing. However, the idealized reality and the one in actuality are often far apart and vastly different. That gap, I believe, is responsible for a lot of people’s pain.”

He could see the understanding growing behind her eyes as he continued to explain.

Yes!

He knew that she’d understand!

“Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes that they wish that they could be.” He continued. “You, for example, have already been through quite a lot. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places.”

Makuri leaned back in his chair and smiled at Akiko, hoping to convey the sincerity in his words.

“But that fact that you’re standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality everyday? To me, that’s incredibly admirable.”

It could be so easy for her to be just another statistic. Just another young teenage girl who went down the wrong path and was lost to a cruel, uncaring and unsympathetic world. But she was still here, and from what Maruki could see, she was doing surprisingly well given her circumstances.

“Then again, that might sound a little weird coming from a man you just meet, huh?”

“I...I just.... I don’t think-” Akiko stumbled over her words and Takuto laughed.

“Please! No need to deflect the compliment with self-deprecation! You really are a very strong person, Kurusu-san.”

Akiko looked away from him, back down at her tea cup, which had been untouched since her first sip. He looked up to the clock to confirm with his internal clock just how long the conversation had been going on and was shocked to find just how off he was.

“Oh my, I apologise Kurusu-san. It seems I’ve kept you longer than I intended to. I guess the conversation just took on a life of its own.” He smiled, but he knew that was a lie.He’s practically dragged the whole thing a long, but that was the life of a counselor sometimes. Not everyone wanted to talk.

“Oh, before I let you go though, I did have...one last request. If you don’t mind?”

He could use her help...

“S-sir?”

“I’m actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counselor. It’s not quite like counseling- more like a type of psychological treatment...”

She had an insight into other people’s metaphorical hearts, in a way that he could only even dream about. If he could gain her trust, get closer to her... He could help her too! The girl obviously had anxieties and insecurities!

It could be beneficial for both of them!

Kurusu Akiko could prove extremely useful to him...

\----------------------------

The next morning Ryuji could hardly keep his eyes open as he shuffled his way off of his first train and across the underground walkway towards the train that would take him to Shujin.

“Good morning.”

Ann slid out of the crowd and started walking next to him, startling him a little. He was so sleepy that he hadn’t even noticed her. That wasn’t good... Was he gonna be able to keep his eyes open during exams today?

He yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head before he was able to get out his own, “Morning.”

“Gross, at least cover your mouth.”

“Shut up, you’re not my mom.” He grumbled back, scratching the back of his head, stifling yet another yawn. “Crraaap. I’m so sleepy...”

“Oh? You pulled an all nighter too?”

“I didn’t want to!” Ryuji groaned, sighing dramatically with his whole body. “I went to the arcade after school, and when I got home my mom gave me a lecture about studying. I told her I’d spent the whole night studying to make up for it.”

“Oh?” Ann asked, giving him a sideways glance. They were almost at their platform now. “You actually spent the whole night studying?”

Ryuji sighed. Might as well be honest. “Nah, I gave up like an hour in. I ended up playing games all night.” 

Ann sighed. “I know what you mean... I sat down at my desk to study, but then I thought, ‘Hey, let’s reorganize the desk’ and then I did my closet, and then my whole room...”

“Hah!” He gave a little laugh. At least he wasn’t the only one who was sure to bomb this test, so there was that.

“Good morning.” Both Ryuji and Ann turned to see Akiko approaching them. Morgana was peeking out from over her shoulder, once again storing away in her school bag.

“ ‘Morning Aki-chan!” Ann smiled, before she covered her face to hide a yawn.

Ryuji gave the late comer a grin. “Yo, you stay up late studying too?”

Akiko nodded a little and it was then that Ryuji noticed that she was keeping her arms close to her body, clutching at the straps of her bag and just seemed to have a nervous energy about her this morning.

“MmHmm!” Morgana confirmed, jumping into the conversation. “Doctor Maruki kept her longer than we thought, so we didn’t get back to the cafe until late. I don’t even know what time she went to bed, I fell asleep way before that.”

Ryuji looked to Akiko, it was her que to supply what time she actually did manage to sleep, if at all, but she wasn’t looking at him, or any of them. 

Akiko was glancing over her shoulder, looking about the crowd, a small frown pinching at her brow. Eventually her eyes locked on something and she paled a little, taking a step back.

“Aki-chan?” Ann asked, also noticing that their friend was acting off, “Is it-?” 

Whatever question Ann was about to ask was cut off by a sharp gasp, as she turned her head to see what Akiko was looking for. Whatever it was, she’d seen it too.

“No way...” She whispered.

“You see him too?” Akiko asked back, looking for confirmation.

Him? 

Him who?

“What? A groper or something?” Ryuji asked, stepping forward. He was honestly too tired for a fight, but if some pervert was messing with his friends on the train...

Ann shook her head negatively, “No, it’s not like that it’s just... It’s nothing.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ryuji.” Akiko offered, raising a hand. “We just... we’ve seen this guy around the station before. That’s all.”

“Well, duh, it’s a big station?” Like, what were they expecting? They weren’t the only people in the world who had regular schedules and took the train the same time every day. 

Sheesh. Get him all worried about shit.

The alarm chimed, signalling the approach of their train and Ryuji turned around to face the platform. “Come on. Let’s go.”

\-----

The train had been too crowded for much conversation, but the three of them did manage to stand by each other and not get separated in the crowd, so that was a positive at least. Ryuji did have to stand next to this one older guy though, ugh the bastard smelled awful. It was like he’d never heard of a shower before.

Ann seemed nervous the whole trip, fiddling with her hair, glancing about, and looking to Akiko, who was watching the news on the tiny display screens. 

Ugh, what a pain in the ass. At least he didn’t get paranoid when he didn’t get enough sleep.

“Oh my god!” Ann gasped as they finally got out of the crowded rush of people and started to ride their escalator up towards the street level.

“That guy got off the train!”

Akiko whipped around to see what Ann was seeing, and after a quick scan of the people behind them, she seemed to see who Ann was talking about.

“Isn’t this bad?” Ann asked, locking arms with Akiko, pulling her friend closer to her side.

Geez.

Ryuji yawned and stretched his arms again. His shoulders hurt.

“Hey!” Ann snapped at him, giving him a hard look. “You can at least act like you care!”

“Fiiiine. Come on.” He groaned and moved from the right side of the escalator to the left and started walking up the side that had been left open for the ones who wanted to walk. He heard the girls quickly follow behind him.

“What are you doing?” Ann asked, following closely behind him, her right arm still locked with Akiko’s left, pulling the other girl along with her.

Ryuji reached out and took Akiko’s free hand and pulled her to his side, Ann letting her go as so they didn’t end up playing tug of war with their friend, who seemed just as confused as Ann did.

“You wait there. Don’t move, don’t turn around, don’t do nothing. Just stand there.” He said to Ann, pointing at a spot on the ground, before he turned and walked towards the alley that was just to the left of them, taking Akiko with him. He let go of her hand once they got to their hiding spot, so that he could crouch down and place his hands on his knees for support.

“Ryuji?” Akiko asked, so he explained his plan quickly.

“Ann thinks she’s got a stalker right? So she waits there, and if the creep approaches her, we stop him, and if he walks right by, we get to call her an overdramatic princess for the rest of the month.”

It was a fool proof plan, and Ryuji was honestly pretty proud of himself for coming up with it so quickly. And with no sleep to boot! 

“But I don’t think-” Akiko tried to interrupt, but Ryuji saw movement.

“Shh! Look!” 

A teenage boy, he looked to be about their age, had stopped at the top of the stairs, staring at Ann for a moment, before he seemed to take a deep breath and began to make a beeline towards Ann.

“Shit, let’s go.” Ryuji scrambled out from the alley, and Akiko followed quickly behind him.

“Excuse me, Miss? I was wondering if-” the mysterious teen was beginning to say, his hand extending to reach out and touch Ann, but Ryuji quickly but himself in between the other teen and his friend, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Ah!” The boy gave a startled gasp, taking a step back in shock.

Ryuji gave the teen a once over. A high school uniform that he didn’t recognize, black slacks and a white long sleeve shirt with the school emblem over the left breast pocket. The boy was impossibly pale, white as a sheet, and he was extremely skinny. He had long spindly fingers and gaunt cheekbones. His dark eyes and so black it was nearly blue hair stood out against his pale complection.

The pretty boy didn’t look like a stalker...

“Hey, uh, are you sure it’s him?” Ryuji turned to Ann, “Or are you just that self-conscious?”

“That’s not-!” Ann snarled, ready to get into his face about it when the pretty boy spoke up.

“Excuse me? Is there something you want?”

“Rggh!” Ann pushed past Ryuji and Akiko, ready to turn her ire on the stranger and Ryuji wasn’t going to stop her. Better this gut than himself after all.

“That’s my line! You’re the one who's been stalking us!” She accusoused, literally pointing the finger at the dark haired boy.

“Stalking you?” The pretty boy repeated, tilting his head to the side. He frowned and shook his head a little, adjusting his hair. “That’s outrageous.” 

“I know that you’ve been following us! Ever since the train! Plus! Akiko and I have seen you watching us for a few morning now too!” Ann insisted.

The boy looked shocked, taking a small step back to get away from Ann’s fury. “T-That’s...that’s because...”

A car honking several quick times in rapid succession cut through the conversation like a sledgehammer, a fancy black two door car pulling up beside them, slowing to a stop. The four teens watched as the back window rolled down, revealing some old man that Ryuji had never seen before in his life.

“My goodness.” He laughed, speaking to the group of students. “I had wondered why you had been insisting on riding the train so often. So this is where your passion led you? Well, All's well that ends well, I suppose!”

“Sensei...” The boy mumbled, before bowing toward the man, “I apologize Sensei!”

“Think nothing of it, Yusuke! Such is Inspiration, yes?” The old man laughed.

“I... I saw you from the car the other day, and I.... I couldn’t help myself from chasing after you.” The boy, Yusuke, if the old man was to be believed, tried to explain but if he was trying to make himself not sound like a stalker, he really wasn’t helping his case in Ryuji’s opinion.

“I’m so thankful I was finally able to catch up to you.” He sighed in relief, before he took a step forward, towards Ann and Akiko’s direction.

“You’re the woman I’ve been searching for all this time!” Yusuke proclaimed dramatically. “Please! Won’t you-”

“Wait a minute, I-!” Ann protested, taking a step back.

Yusuke however, walked right past Ann as if she weren't even there, stopping right in front of Akiko and quickly snatched up one of her hands in between both his own mitts, like he was begging for her with all his heart or something.

“Please miss! Won't’ you be the model for my next art piece!?”

...

“Akiko?!” Ryuji cried, in disbelief.

“Model!?” Ann cried, her voice holding just as much confusion as his own.

Akiko’s mouth opened and closed silently, too stunned for words.

“All that I’ve drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else!”

Wait wait wait wait wait, what?! 

What?!

This guy wanted to use Akiko as a model?

Akiko.

Kurusu Akiko? His friend and the arguably the least conventionally attractive girl that Ryuji knew?! The girl was like thirty percent frizzy hair and oversized glasses!

Who would pick Akiko as a model, when Ann, the literal professional model, was literally standing right next to her?

What was this guy's deal?

This was way too sketchy for him.

“Ain't this a recruitment scheme for a shady business?” He asked, wondering who else would agree with him.

“Will you cooperate with me? Please? What do you say?” Yusuke pressed, and like, dude, hadn’t Ryuji just called him shady?! The hell was with that wording?!

“Hold your horses!” He pressed, pushing himself between this stranger and Akiko, forcing him to let go of her hand. Akiko easily slid behind his back, seemingly grateful for the space between her and the insistent teen. “Who do you think you are, huh?”

“I...Oh my, where have my manners gone?” Ryuji watched as the boy before him flushed and took a small step backwards to make a more acceptable space between all parties involved. 

“I’m a second year student at Kosei High’s fine art’s division. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke.” He bowed politely at the waist, introducing himself formally. “I am also Madarame-sensei’s pupil, and I’m being allowed residence at his home. It is my dream to become an artist.”

“Huh!?” Ann gasped and Ryuji looked over at her to see what her deal was. “Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one that was on “Good Morning Japan” the other day?”

Yusuke nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yes, the very same.”

“You know who that is?” Ryuji asked. Since when had Ann been interested in art? She sucked at painting.

Ann nodded excitedly. “He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who’s been recognized all over the world! But... we.. also heard that name in Mementos the other day too...”

The car that was still next to them honked its horn once again, and the old man from inside, Madarame himself maybe? Called for Yusuke once more.

“I-I’m sorry Sensei!” He called back, “I’ll be right there!”

“Oh my god that’s him...” Ann gasped, now that she was really looking at the older man in the car. They must have put his picture on the news on something.

Yusuke turned his attention to Akiko once more, pushing Ryuji out of the way so that he could speak to her clearly.

“Madarame-sensei’s exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I’ll be there to help out on opening day.” He explained. “Could I please request you come by? It would be wonderful if you could give me your answer in regard to being my model then as well.”

He gave Ryuji a dismissive glance. “I doubt all of your... friends would be interested in the fine arts, but I have enough tickets for all three.” He pulled the tickets from his back pocket and passed them to Akiko quickly. “I must go, but I look forward to seeing you then!”

And with that, Yusuke ran back to the car, and once he was inside, they quickly sped off, like he hadn't just crashed into their lives with all the grace of a train wreck.

“You’re not planning on going, are you?” Ryuji asked, turning to Akiko who had already put the tickets into her bag for safe keeping.

“I... I think I will.” She mumbled softly, and Ryuji felt his jaw drop.

For real!?

Ann gave a startled gasp. She was staring at her phone, eyes wide. “Oh crap! Look at the time! We have to run! We’re going to be late for exams!”

Akiko gasped once she took a look at the time and grabbed her bag straps for better stability. “Let’s run!”

Ryuji was left standing alone on the sidewalk as the two girls took off running towards the school.

Seriously?!

Was he the only one who thought this was weird?!

Akiko was cute sometimes, he’d admit that, but to use HER as a model!?

Ryuji didn’t like it.

Something was up. This Yusuke guy had other motives and Ryuji was gonna figure it out.

\------

It wasn’t until after class was let out for the day that Ryuji was able to meet up with the girls again.

“It’s over!” He groaned dramatically.

“It’s over!” Ann echoed and the two of them looked to Akiko.

“...It’s over?” She didn’t sound nearly as tired or as grateful for the exams to be done as they were and Ryuji gave her a pointed look. Just how confident was she? He knew that she was a smart girl, like duh, she was a nerd, she was gonna be smart but..

Just how smart was Kurusu Akiko, really?

“Uuugh I wanna stop talkin’ about exams, I wanna stop thinkin’ about exams, I wanna just completely forget about exams all together.” He groaned, feeling yet another headache growing.

“At least until next week when they come back graded.” Morgana teased, poking his head up from behind Akiko’s shoulder.

“Shut up. Don’t remind me.” Ryuji sighed, turning his attention back to his phone. He’d been scrolling and walking for a while now.

“What are you looking at?” Ann asked, peering over his shoulder to try and get a peek.

“The Phan-site.” He showed her easily. “It’s no use though.... There isn’t any useful info. The number of posts are going down too. It’s not nearly as active as it was just a few days ago.”

“We got that tip about that bully from Mishima-kun the other day, but we haven’t really looked into it because of exams.” Ann reminded him, but some low level high school bully wasn’t a very big target...

“I’m not going to let this end as a one-hit wonder, okay?” Morgana promised conviction in his voice. 

Ann sighed. “But there’s no point in getting antsy. Oh I know! Why don’t we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over from the other day right?”

Ryuji could get behind that!

“I want Sushi then!”

“Oh! Me too! I want sushi too!” Mona mewed excitedly. “I want fancy tuna!”

“We don’t have that much money left.” Ann sighed, trying to calm them down. “We have those tickets for Madarame’s exhibit! Oh.. wait no, that doesn’t start until tomorrow.”

“D-Don’t tell me...” Morgana gasped. “Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?”

“What? No!” Ann denied, shaking her head. “When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we’ve got free tickets.”

“We also heard his name in Mementos.” Akiko reminded.

“Madarame, right?”

“I’m... curious.” Akiko admitted, as she fiddled with her bangs a bit. “But... I won’t go alone... will you guys come with me?”

“Of course Aki-chan!” Ann smiled brightly. “I’ll come appreciate some fine art!”

“A Phantom thief who can’t identify an original is lame.” Morgana laughed and Ryuji rolled his eyes. 

“Fiiiine, if everyone is going.” Ryuji sighed, conceding to a wasted sunday.

“It’s settled then!” Ann cheered. “Let’s meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow!”

“Okay.” Akiko agreed and Ryuji nodded.

It wasn’t like he had much of a choice, it seemed.

\----

It was raining the next morning and Ryuji was at least thankful that they’d decided to do something inside today.

Even if it was something as boring as a ‘fine arts exhibit’, at least they wouldn't get soaked doing it.

The exhibit took up nearly half the floor of the third level to the mall. Ryuji would give it to them, it was pretty impressive just how much they’d transformed the space. However...

“It’s so crowded.” Morgana mumbled from Akiko’s bag. There were way more people than Ryuji had been anticipating. How the hell were so many people concerned with art? They’re just pictures. You could just google pictures of them, it was the same thing!

He turned to Morgana, who was looking around, half of his body out and resting on Akiko’s shoulder as he surveyed the place.

“Hey, Morgana, it’ll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you.” He reminded. “Try not to stick your head out so much, all right?”

Morgana rolled his eyes, but did as Ryuji suggested, and just in time too, because a familiar voice called out.

“You came!” 

The trio of teenagers turned to face the boy from yesterday, Yusuke, approaching them.

He wore a pair of slim black pants, and a tanned blazer, looking just as fancy as all the other adults around here. Ryuji felt really underdressed in his jeans and hoodie combo, but it was the warmest hoodie he had for spring time weather. Then again, it wasn’t like Akiko or Ann had gone super fancy with their clothing either.

Akiko nodded silently and Ann chimed in for her. “Yeah, we decided it would be fun just to come check it out.”

Yusuke slid his gaze over to Ryuji, his smile vanishing almost instantly. “I see you came as well.”

Ryuji bristled at the tone directed his way. “What did you expect!? You’re the one who gave us free tickets after all.”

Yusuke sighed and adjusted his bang with a dramatic head flip. “Just make sure not to get in the way of the other visitors.”

Like Ryuji wanted to bump elbows with these rich schmucks!

“Come now, Akiko-san, was it? I’d love to show you around. I’d also like an opportunity to speak more about the painting I’d like you to model for as well.” He offered Akiko a hand, which the raven haired girl reluctantly accepted. She slid her backpack off her shoulder and quickly passed it over to Ryuji, handing Morgana over to him.

“I..I’ll meet up with you guys later okay? Ryuji, could you please hold my bag?” Akiko was dragged off before she was able to hear the reply, leaving Ryuji, Morgana and Ann alone to wander around the exhibit.

“D-Do you think Akiko will be alright?” Morgana asked, popping out of the bag once more, his ears back in distress. “What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny? I should go with her!”

“Dude!” Ryuji hissed, slamming his hand onto the cat's head and trying to shove him back into the bag. “I told you to stay in the bag!”

“B-But that man is highly suspect!”

“Akiko can handle herself!” Even if that guy did try something, it wasn’t like she hadn’t been in that situation before. She’d know what to do, right? She’d defended herself the first time, so if she had to, she could do it a second time, right?

“Will you too shut up?” Ann hissed. “We’re causing a scene!”

It was true that a couple of people had turned their gazes from the paintings on the walls and were looking in their direction. She had a point...

Ryuji sighed and slipped the backpack over one of his shoulders. “Whatever.... Are we really gonna ‘appreciate’ the fine arts? Can’t we just go home?”

“Idiot.” Morgana hissed from inside the bag. “This is our chance to learn about Madarame!”

“Morgana’s right, Yusuke.” Ann chastised, shifting her weight and crossing her arms. “We should look around and see if we can gather any information. Plus! The tickets were free, so let's try and enjoy the art? Please? Let’s just be mature for like, one afternoon?”

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Mature huh?

“Fiiiine. One pass through couldn’t hurt.” 

\-----

“Ugh that old lady totally elbowed me!” Ryuji groaned, sinking to the floor.

So much for looking at the damn paintings. They’d only listened in on Madarame’s interview with the reporter lady for two questions before other people noticed the painter's presence and swarmed like flies.

“But I was reminded about this post I saw on the Phan-site-” He fished out his phone to show Ann what he was talking about.

“Why did we leave without Akiko?!” Ann snapped, stomping a foot and completely ignoring everything that he’d been trying to say.

“I sent her a message!” Ryuji defended! He wasn’t a jerk! He told Akiko what had happened and where they were waiting for her, once she managed to free herself from that creepy pretty boy.

“That’s not the point!” Ann protested. “What if she needs our- oh.”

Ryuji looked up from his phone to see what had caught Ann’s attention. It was Akiko, wandering through the crowd towards their direction.

“There you are!” Ann cried, rushing forward and grasping Akiko by the shoulders, looking her over for signs of damage or distress. “Are you okay? How was it? He didn’t do anything strange did he? I’ll kick his ass-”

“Ann-chan, it’s fine.” Akiko soothed, removing Ann’s hands from her shoulders and offering her a small smile. “I’m fine.”

“What did he want to talk about?” Morgana asked, peeking out of the bag to check on her as well.

Akiko shrugged a little. “He showed me some of the paintings but...it’s weird. He only wanted to show me certain ones. If I lingered on one for too long, he’d try and pull me away saying there was ‘better art’ to see. Madarame stopped by and spoke with us too.”

“You got to speak with Madarame?!” Ann gasped. “What was he like?”

Akiko bit her lip and was hesitant to respond. “He seemed nice but... I don’t know. Something in my gut.... I don’t like him.”

Ryuji cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I found this post on the Phan-site that might be about Madarame.”

That got both of the girls attention and Ryuji began to read the post outloud.

“A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupils' work. Only his public face is shown on TV.” 

Ann gasped, a hand flying to her mouth in shock. “Plagiarizing?!”

“I didn’t really think anything about it, but then, when we were listening to that interview that he was giving, he mentioned a shack, just like the post!” Ryuji quickly explained, before he looked back down at his phone to make sure he was reading the post correctly.

“His treatment of the pupils who live with him is just awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog.”

“Abuse and plagiarism...” Morgana muttered, shaking his head. 

“If this is real, this could be a massive scandal.” Maybe even bigger than the Kamoshida scandal...

“I... I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this.” Ann sighed softly. “I mean, he is a pupil of his isn’t he? And didn’t he say that he was living with Madarame too?”

Ryuji shrugged. “No way to tell, it’s an anonymous message board after all.”

“I suspect that the Madarame that we heard about in Mementos and in fact the same Madarame we saw inside the exhibit.” Morgana deduced.

“If only we could talk to that shadow again and get more details...” Akiko spoke up, placing a hand on her chin in thought. “... or maybe... could we try and talk to him in reality?”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Ryuji asked, shaking his head. “We gonna explain all about it, even Mementos?”

“Besides,” Morgana chimed in, agreeing with Ryuji, “If we make a move out in the open, there’s a possibility that Madarame could find out about it.”

“But this all fits way too well to be a coincidence!” Ryuji cried. He was getting frustrated. They’d been searching for a target, and now it seems like they might finally have a lead! There was no way that they could just let this go now! “If this post is legit, this is the target we’ve been waiting for! It practically fell into our laps!”

“I mean, yeah, but-” Ann sighed, twirling one of her pigtails. “Is it really true?”

It wasn’t like they could go up to the guy and ask him!

Wait a second...

“Hey, AkiAki? What happened with the whole modeling for that Kitamota guy?”

“Kitagawa.” Akiko corrected automatically, before answering, “And I told him I would need to think about it some more... he did give me his contact information though. And the address for his sensei’s atelier, where he is currently residing.”

“His what now?”

“It’s french for ‘workshop’.” Since when did Akiko know any french?

“Hmm.” Ryuji climbed to his feet, brushing his butt clean of any debris that might have clung to his jeans. “He said he lives there right? It’s perfect timing! Let’s try going tomorrow! We can all go to Madarame’s house right after school!”

“Wait a second!” Ann cried, stepping forward. “You can just accept the modeling job on Akiko’s behalf! What if she doesn’t want to model!?”

“Who said anything about modeling? We’re just going to talk to Kitagawa.”

Sheesh, she could be so over dramatic sometimes.

“Oh... Well.. That should be fine...” Ann conceded. “Akiko-chan? What do you think?”

“...Let’s talk to Kitagawa-san.” Akiko nodded, stepping forward to pick up the Mona bag from the floor, slipping it back over her shoulder.

“That settles it!” Ryuji laughed, “Tomorrow after school, we get some answers!”

\-----

Ryuji was really stunned to see the building that the navigation app said was their destination.

“Is... is that it?”

He knew that Madarame had referred to it as a ‘Shack’ but to think it was really this run down... the guy was a famous artist! The hell was he doing living in a rundown excuse of a building like this!?

The small two story home on the corner lot was... old, to say the least. Every single other home in the area was at least semi modern, but Ryuji wouldn’t be surprised if the rusted metal sides had seen more than one or two battles in its time. He wouldn't be surprised to hear this was some ancient one hundred year old home that Madarame was ‘preserving for art’ or something.

That being said, it couldn’t be a nice house to live in. It looked like the next major earthquake might be it’s last. 

“It’s the right address...” Akiko confirmed, double checking her phone with the contact details that Kitagawa had given him.

“The door plate says Madarame.” Ann chimed in, already taking a few steps ahead of them to investigate further.

“You wanna ring the bell?” Ryuji asked. She was already so close after all.

“Me?!” Ann gasped, jumping back from the fence gate. “But I-! The walls won’t collapse if I do, will they?!”

“Nobody sneeze, we don’t wanna blow the house down.” Morgana snickered from over Akiko’s shoulder, peeking from her bag to see what the fuss was about. He’d been pretty silent since the train ride when Akiko had had to pretend he was a stuffed animal to appease the little girl who’d approached them. Ryuji thought he was being over dramatic, if it was up to him, Ryuji would have button mashed the little bugger-

Ding Dong.

Akiko had wandered forward and pressed the doorbell, taking half a step back just in case she knocked something loose.

Ryuji and Ann rushed to join her.

“Who is it?” came a voice from the speakers above the doorbell. It sounded a little like Kitagawa? It was hard to tell, the speakers were so old, he sounded like a robot or something. “Madarame Ichiryusai is currently out on-”

“Umm... It’s Kurusu Akiko?” Akiko offered hesitantly, but that seemed to be enough.

“I’ll be right down!” came the hasty reply.

Ryuji couldn’t really believe it...

“People really do live here...”

This building looked like it needed to be condemned and a small part of him was worried to go inside. What if it had like, lead paint on the walls, or asbestos or something? Those were things you had to worry about in old homes right?

The front door slid open so fast that Ryuji almost jumped back in shock. Ann actually did jump, gaining maybe half a feet of air and squeaking lightly.

“Kurusu-sa-!” Kitagawa cut off his enthusiastic greeting when he quickly noticed that Akiko wasn’t alone. “You...two are here, as well?”

Ryuji offered a bright grin and an informal, “Yo!”

It was clear that the other boy didn’t want him around, but hey, that just made it all the more easy to press his buttons. 

This pretty boy was too easy to read.

“Sorry, but uh, we ain’t really here to talk about that modelin’ thing.” He explained, taking a step forward to get closer to Akiko and Yusuke. “There’s something we gotta ask you about instead.”

“Is it true that Madarame’s been plagiarizing his students' artwork?” Ann asked, also taking a step forward, having recovered from her startle with the door earlier. “We’ve... also heard that he’d been abusive towards his pupils...”

“Are you serious?” Yusuke asked, frowning at the three other teenagers before him.

“We read about it online.” Ryuji tried to explain. It wasn’t like they could explain about the Metaverse or Mementos to the guy, so that was they’re only real option.

Yusuke took his own steps forward, advancing on Ryuji in particular, frowning deeply at them before he started to laugh.

Ryuji and Ann shared a sideways glance as they waited for the boy to respond with an actual answer for them.

“This is preposterous!” He laughed, shaking his head. “Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse?! He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence; it is charity!”

Ryuji bit his lip.

Okay, sure but just because someone is letting you live in their home, doesn’t mean that they're a good person... Ryuji’s father was proof enough of that.

“And I’m the one residing here and studying under him!” Yusuke slammed a hand onto his chest, just above his heart, as he continued to passionately defend his teacher. “I’m saying that it’s not true! It’s beyond a doubt not true!”

“You might be lyin’ about it!” Ryuji snapped back.

Ryuji’d lied plenty of times to cover for his dad’s abuse when he was younger. ‘I fell off the swings!’ ‘I ran into my door, sensei, promise!’ ‘I’m just clumsy! Of course my Daddy doesn’t hit me!’ Ryuji knew that sometimes it wasn’t so easy to tell the truth... to admit that the people who should be caring for you are actually hurting you...

“T-That...” Yusuke stuttered, taking a small step back, his already ghostly complexion paling further. “That’s utter rubbish. I had no family when Sensei took me in! He’s the one who raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!”

Who the hell did this guy think he was, some kind of ancient samurai? Who the hell still used words like ‘Rue’?!

“Kitagawa-san, you can’t really think like that-” Ann protested, raising her hands defensively, but she was cut off as a voice from inside the house called out-

“Yusuke?”

It was Madarame! The old man was dressed in simple, traditional robes, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he shuffled into the doorframe.

“What’s the matter? I heard you yelling from all the way back in the garden.”

Yusuke gestured an angry hand towards Ryuji and Ann in particular. “These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!”

The old man sighed and shook his head a little, before offering a kind, “Forgive them, Yusuke. They must have heard some bad rumors and came, worrying about their friend’s safety. It’s admirable, really.”

Yusuke sighed and lowered his head, avoiding everyone's gaze and instead focusing on the grazel pathway. “...Understood, Sensei.”

Madarame laughed. “Honestly, even I doubt that a cranky old man such as myself could be liked by everyone.”

“Sir, that’s not what we meant...” Ann tried to explain but Madarame stopped her with a simple raising of his hand. 

“I’m sorry to have butt in on your conversation.” He offered politely, “However, I do have neighbours around. Could I please ask you to keep it down?”

“...of course, sir.” Akiko bowed a little, and that seemed to be enough for Madarame, who quickly excused himself and shuffled back into the house, the sliding sound of his house slippers going with him into the dark recesses of the shack.

Yusuke took a deep breath before he sighed, bowing stiffly in Ryuji’s direction. “That was... discourteous of me. I apologize.”

Ryuji wasn’t quite sure how to reply, and a quick glance at Ann showed that she was in much the same boat as he was.

“I know!” Yusuke brighted, reaching into his back pocket. “I think you’ll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting!”

He quickly unlocked his phone and pulled up an image for them to see. “It’s his maiden work, as well as his most representative piece! It’s titled, ‘Sayuri’.”

Ryuji leaned in close to try and get a good look at the picture of the painting. It was just some lady in red looking sad. What the hell was this supposed to prove? Like, sure, it was a really nice piece but...

But that old geezer had been a really nice guy. Ryuji didn’t think that he’d be so kind or understanding to some teens making accusations about him on his own property if he were in Madarame’s position...

“Sayuri?” Ann repeated, also leaning in close to get a better look at the picture as well.

Yusuke nodded, smiling happily, and his once sharp angry feature softened. “This is the painting that inspired me to become an artist.”

“It’s so beautiful...” Ann whispered in amazement and Ryuji reluctantly agreed.

“I don’t know shit about this fine-arts stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive.” He sighed.

Yusuke slipped his phone back into his pocket, and turned his attention to Akiko, his eyes practically sparkling.

“When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting...” Yusuke confessed and Ryuji watched as his friend fidgeted under the attention.

“M-Me?” Akiko stuttered, pointing at herself with a shaking finger. Her face was quickly turning an interesting shade of scarlet, and for some reason, Ryuji felt his stomach twist uncomfortably.

“I wish to pursue beauty like this painting. I believe that drawing you will be part of that pursuit.” Yusuke elaborated and Akiko shook her head quickly, her mouth stuttering over denials. The artist boy ignored her protests and continued on speaking, “I implore you! Please seriously consider my offer!”

“B-But I-!” Akiko stuttered. “I’m not-! I don’t know if-! Are you sure you-?...Beauty? Me?”

“I’m sorry that you came out all this way, but I must assist Sensei today.” Yusuke apologized, once again either ignoring or completely oblivious to Akiko’s flustered state. “I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you’ll excuse me, then.”

Once Yusuke went back into the sorry excuse of a house and closed the door behind him, the three teens awkwardly shuffled across the street, stopping at a low fence.

Ryuji sat down on top of the fence with a heavy groan.

“They...seemed like nice guys...” Ryuji sighed, suddenly not feeling as confident in their plan as he was the day prior.

“Maybe... maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person.” Ann suggested.

“Geez...” Ryuji sighed. “And just when we thought we had a new target too...I was so sure about this...”

“Let’s at least check the Meta-nav.” Morgana suggested, jumping from Akiko’s bag and joining Ryuji on the fence.

Akiko fished her phone from her jacket pocket and opened the red eyeball app that Ryuji also had on his own phone.

It was already loaded with information that they certainly hadn’t seen Akiko enter before.

“Madarame Ichiryusai”  
“Plagiarism”  
“Shack”

The keywords were already filled out and accepted, there was just one missing...

“That means that he does have a Palace after all, right?” Ryuji asked.

“But why!?” Ann gasped. “He seemed so nice just before! And every interview i’ve seen, he’s always been so kind! He seems like a sweet old man!”

“We have the name, location and desire...” Morgana mused aloud. “All we need left is the “What” Madarame views the shack as with his distorted heart...”

“Like, how Kamoshida thought of the school as his castle?” Ann asked, clarifying. Ryuji was glad that she had; if she hadn’t, he would have.

“Yes, exactly Lady Ann.” Morgana confirmed, before suggesting, “Let’s try saying some things. They could be random guesses.”

“Maybe...it’s another castle?”

“No candidate found.” replied the robot voice.

“What about...Prison?” Ryuji suggested. That shack looked like a death sentence to him. And didn’t that post say he treated his students like dogs? 

“No candidate found.”

“Uuuugh!” He groaned. “What a pain in the ass!”

Fuck it, just start quick rattling ‘em off.

“Jail! Warehouse! Guidance cousenlin’ office! Farm!?”

“No candidate found.”

“Oh my- Seriously?!” Ryuji cried, slouching back, hooking his foot through the metal bars of the fence so as to not fall backwards.

“Should we come back another time?” Morgana suggested, his ears folding back. “It’s starting to get late...” 

The cat was right... the sun was beginning to lower in the sky, the clouds turning a murky orange colour. Not to mention that Ryuji was starting to get hungry and he wanted to stop by his favorite beef bowl place before he went home for the night.

“A building that’s related to artists...” Ann mused aloud, still trying to come up with a guess before they left, it seemed. “What could it be...”

“A museum?” Akiko asked and quickly the phone made a soft pinging noise.

“Candidate found. Beginning Navigation.”

So much for coming back another day!

\----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Rolling Girl: Exam results for real this time. 
> 
> I tried really hard to get to it in this chapter because I did say I would in the last end notes, but after 11.5k words, I figured I could leave it for the next chapter.
> 
> I hope you guys can understand. (-_-;)・・・
> 
> ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧ Have a wonderful day everyone!


	16. Chapter 16: Ryuji, Yusuke, ect.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art time, Awakenings and EXAM RESULTS!

Chapter 16: Ryuji, Yusuke, Ryuji, Yusuke, Ryuji  
\----

Ryuji leaned down to pick up the can of soda that had tumbled down from the depths of the vending machine. He cracked the lid with a small carbonated hiss, before he chugged.

Shit he was thirstier than he thought he was.

A small bletch ripped past his lips before he could stop it, the fizzy bubbles dancing away in his gut.

Ann rolled her eyes, sipping at her own bottle of sparkling water. Whatever. It wasn’t like Ann didn’t burp, he’d heard it!

Everybody burped...

“Kitagawa-san responded.” Akiko spoke up. She was sitting on the bench by the table, phone in hand, the light from the screen reflecting off her glasses. “He wants me to come over today. Now.”

Ryuji laughed, scoffing a little at the clear desperation in that move. “Dude probably dropped all his plans just to get you out there. What a creep.”

“But, doesn’t that work out well for us?” Ann asked, screwing the lid back onto her bottle.

Akiko nodded in agreement. “We need to see if Kitagawa-san can offer insight into what we saw in the Palace...”

Ryuji bit his lip. What insight? The old man had a Palace, that alone should be enough. And that Statue that they’d seen? The ‘Spring of inspiration’ or whatever it was called? 

“Well-” Ryuji started, but was quickly cut off.

“Hey! Hush!” Morgana hissed, looking out into the courtyard. “It’s that student council president!”

Ryuji and Ann turned to see where Morgana was looking, and Akiko stood up from the bench so that she too could have a better view.

Sure enough, the cat was right. There was Niijima, talking to Mishima of all people.

Shit.

That wasn’t good. 

“Yikes.” He whispered. “She got a hold of Mishima today huh?” 

“Common, It’ll suck if she noticed us together. Let’s split up while we can.”

He really didn’t want to have to deal with her once again making insinuations about himself and Akiko. He was getting really sick of it.

“Meet up in the walkway in Shibuya?” Ann suggested.

“Were we met up after the exhibit over the weekend?” Morgana confirmed, jumping off the table and moving towards Akiko’s bag. “Got it. We’ll meet up there.”

Ryuji nodded at the two girls and the three of them all split up, walking off in different directions.

Once he was out of view of Niijima, he took off running down the halls, practically sprinting towards his locker to switch from his school shoes to his outside shoes.

As much as Ryuji didn’t like the guy, the others seemed to think his knowledge about Madarame could be useful to the Palace, so Ryuji’d put up with Kitagawa for now.

Just as long as the guy didn’t go too far with this modeling thing.

\----

He was the first one to get to the meeting spot, probably because he was so excited to get this underway that he’d run from station to station, catching trains that he usually missed.

In that time, he’d had some time to think about some of the things Ann had said the other day while they were in the Palace.

To Yusuke, were they nothing but a bunch of thugs?

Probably... He didn’t like the way that it sat in his gut and twisted.

Sure he was kinda a punk, he’d admit that, but he wasn’t a thug! Just because Yusuke might be okay with how Madarame is treating him, doesn’t mean that others are! Like that Nakanohara guy! 

That dude had said that Madarame had ruined his life, hadn't he?!

He was so sick of shitty adults ruining other peoples lives! They just did whatever the hell they wanted with no thought about other people!

“Hey.” 

He looked up, and saw that Akiko had made it to the meeting spot too. 

He grinned at her. “Yo! I’m so pumped! We finally landed a big target.”

Akiko didn’t offer a verbal reply, and Ryuji suspected that she was either nervous about modeling, or ...

“Man, Ann sure is late...” He grumbled, realizing just what time it was now. Had she run into trouble on the way here? Did Niijima catch her before she could get out of the school?

“Sorry! Sorry!” Ann called, jogging to meet up with them, sliding out from the crowd easily and joining them in their leaning against the railings. “I was thinking about stuff and then I missed my stop so I had to get off and wait for another train to come and take me the right way back and uuuggghhh.” 

“Hahaha.” Ryuji laughed a little pointing at Ann. He’d done that before so many times, so it was nice to see it happen to someone else.

“What were you thinking about, Lady Ann?” Morgana asked, leaning forward.

“Do...do you guys think that Kitagawa-kun is protecting Madarame? I mean... It has to be! They live together, so he’d have to be aware of Madarame’s true nature.” Ann frowned. “The only reason I can think of for him to do that, would be if Madarame had something on him...”

Hmmm Maybe she had a point there...

“I don’t think it’s like that...” Akiko mumbled and the two blonde teens turned to face their friend. “He said that...that Madarame took him in when he had nowhere else to go, right? That he ‘owed his life’ to Madarame?”

“You suspect he’s protecting him out of a misplaced sense of loyalty?” Morgana asked.

It took Akiko a moment to reply. A shrug and a soft ‘Something like that...’ but it was enough for Ryuji to see where she was coming from a little.

If Yusuke really thought that he owed his very life to Madarame then...it might make sense for him to defend his abuser as passionately as he had the other day.

“Well, that’s why we’re going to check it out right?” Ryuji asked, pushing off the railing. “You ready to be a model?”

Akiko shrugged nervously, lifting her hands to fidget with her hair.

“Don’t worry Aki-chan! I’ll be right there with you if you have any questions or need any advice.” Ann grinned, even though she’d literally told them during lunch today that she’d never been an Art Model, only a Fashion Model, and therefore, had no idea what to expect.

“Well, let’s get goin’.” Ryuji rolled his eyes. “Time to talk to Yusuke.”

\------

The inside of the house was almost as bad at the outside. The walls were old and musty and the floorboards creaked and groaned under their weight as they walked up the stairs and were led into the first door on the left.

“I must admit, Kurusu-san, I had expected it would just be the two of us.” Yusuke spoke, a little more freely now that they were in what appeared to be his own art space. Different sized easels and painters canvases were leaning against the walls and Ryuji and Ann had found a pair of mismatched seats off to the side, near a positively massive collection of different paint cans and tubes and a large glass jar, overflowing with different brushes, many different shapes and sizes.

The floor itself was stained with different coloured specks of paint, along with bits of the wall, and even the ceiling, now that Ryuji was looking for it. This must just be his place to paint because Ryuji didn’t see a bed anywhere, not even a pile of futons for rolling out on the dirty floor.

Ann chimed in, defending her and Ryuji’s presence for Akiko so she didn’t have to.

“Kitagawa-kun, please try to understand her point of view. You’d be nervous about being alone with a strange boy you’d just met too, if you were her.”

“Strange boy-?” Yusuke repeated, sounded shocked that someone thought him strange.

“We’re here to keep an eye on you, so don’t try anything perverted, ‘kay?” Ryuji decided to make his position here clear to the other boy, giving him a hard look.

Kitagawa, as predicted, took offence to Ryuji’s words, but not in the way that the Runner had been anticipating.

“Stop making such foolish assumptions. I have absolutely no interest in her as a someone of the opposite sex.”

Akiko seemed to deflate, a heavy breath rushing quickly from her lips that even caught Ryuji’s attention. Was that a sigh of relief or-? It had to be relief. What else could it be?

“Is there a problem?” Yusuke asked and Akiko was quick to recover.

“N-No, of course not.” Akiko stuttered, before gesturing nervously towards the stool that was placed in the center of the room. “D-did you just want me to sit here or-?”

“Please, if you would.” Yusuke smiled brightly, already slipping into his chair. He sat with his back stiff and his legs purposefully apart, one facing Akiko and the other facing the blank canvas. He picked up a pencil and held it at an arm's length, closing one eye as he looked down his arm at Akiko, who had not only her legs crossed, but also her arms crossed too.

Ryuji had to admit, she looked like the picture of ‘Uncomfortable’ right now, nervously fidgeting her hands and glanching between Yusuke, the floor, and Ryuji and Ann, before glancing back over to Yusuke again, repeating the cycle over and over.

“Hey so...” Ann tried to ask, leaning forward, but the boy didn’t acknowledge her, his right hand busy as it furiously sketched shapes and lines across the paper with such light pencil marking that Ryuji wasn’t even sure he was touching the page at all half the time.

“Kitagawa-kun?” Ann tried again, and once again, Yusuke ignored her completely.

“Hey buddy,” Ryuji spoked up, raising his voice to a louder tone than Ann had tried. “You hear her? She’s tryin’ to talk to you.”

But it was no use. It was like the other boy had flipped a switch in his head and had turned off hearing for the time being.

“This isn’t what we planned!” Morgana hissed softly from inside Akiko’s bag, which Ann had placed at her feet. “We were going to catch him off guard and make him spill the beans, weren’t we?”

“How were we supposed to know this was gonna happen?” Ryuji hissed back, giving the bag a small tap with the side of his foot. 

“Guess we just gotta...wait until he’s done.” Ann suggested and Ryuji groaned, sinking further into his chair.

“What an effin’ pain in the ass...” He whined, thunking his head against the wall behind him.

“Perhaps I should try exploring about...” Morgana suggested, slipping out of the bag.

Ryuji panicked for a moment, looking wide eyed to Yusuke to see if the dark haired boy had seen anything, but he was too busy looking, snapping, his gaze between Akiko and the canvas to notice anything else around him.

“Just-!” Ryuji started before sighing heavily. “Just don’t get caught.”

Morgana laughed at him as he began to slink away, keeping low to the ground and close to the walls. “Who do you think you’re talking to? This is boring. I’m going to scout around a bit.”

It was kinda amazing how not even the sight of a cat opening and closing the sliding door to the room was enough to distract Kitagawa from his sketching.

Ryuji wished that he too could get up and just explore the old house for clues, but he had a feeling that that’d might not fly with Kitagawa, so he stayed put for now.

God it was so boring thought!

\---

Several levels of phone games, two news articles that were way too dry, and who knows how much time spent scrolling through the Phan-site later, Ryuji looked up to see that Kitagawa had set his pencil down with a heavy sigh.

“What’s up? You done?” He asked, ready to get the hell outta here. Holy shit this was boring. The guy didn’t even put any music on or anything! Who could anyone live like this!?

“It’s no good...” Yusuke bemoaned and Ryuji felt his jaw drop.

“What?!” He cried jumping to his feet. All this time and the pretty boy still wasn’t done!?

“I..I’m sorry Kitagawa-san...” Akiko offered softly. “Am... am I doing something wrong? Am I the problem?”

“No! No, not at all!” Yusuke was quick to deny, raising a hand to try and settle Akiko’s doubts. “It’s just...” He sighed heavily and put his hands on his knees, hanging his head low in shame.

“I’m having trouble staying focused today. I’m sorry, but could we please resume this another time?” 

“Oh hell no!” Ryuji snapped, shaking a head. “How many hours do you think you made us wait?!”

“Made you wait?” Yusuke repeated, looking confused.

“I’m sorry Kitagawa-kun,” Ann offered, also standing up. “But we had another reason for coming today. We were hoping we could talk with you?”

“About those rumors.” Ryuji clarified. “The ones regarding your sensei.”

Yusuke’s face fell into a frown and he shook his head. “This again...”

“Kitagawa-kun...” Akiko spoke up, taking a small step forward. “That painting at the exhibit... the one you pulled me away from... That was your painting, wasn’t it?”

Yusuke couldn’t hide the pained flinch that took over his face, turning his head away from the truth. “That’s....”

“Kitagawa-kun...” Akiko mumbled, offering the boy a sorrowful look. Ryuji wasn’t sure what painting Akiko was talking about, but that just proved it! Madarame was plagiarizing his students' work after all!

“Your sensei’s seriously messed up!” Ryuji cried, imploring Yusuke to see the truth. “He just thinks of his pupils as tools! That’s why he doesn’t give a damn whether he steals their work or physically beats them.”

Yusuke didn’t reply, just kept his head turned away, his breathing quick and shallow.

“I’ll make this clear.” Ryuji offered, lowering his tone. “There’s no point in hidin’ stuff from us.”

“I-I- hahaha,” Yusuke laughed, but it sounded hollow, “I have no idea what you’re talking about...”

“You didn’t feel like you could go against him, could you?” Ann asked, “I’m sure we could help you though!”

“Stop it.” Yusuke mumbled, shaking his head. “It’s...it’s just as you say. We’re...our sensei’s ‘Artwork’.”

What?

The students...were the art?

“Don’t misunderstand me though.” Yusuke cut in quickly, his tone firm. “I offer my idea to him myself. As such, it can’t be called plagiarism.”

That... sort of made sense... Ryuji supposed. But if Madarame was such a famous artist, why would he need to take his students' art for his own?

“Sensei is simply suffering from artist’s block right now.” Yusuke explained, before Ryuji had the chance to voice his opinion on it.

“Okay, but still...” Ryuji insisted.

Yusuke flinched, clearly seeing Ryuji’s point.

“Kitagawa-kun...” Ann offered softly.

“Why are you stickin’ around?!” Ryuji cried, gesturing around at the basically barren room they’d been stuck in for hours now. “All his other pupils ran away! Aren’t you the only one left?!”

Why hadn’t he jumped ship like everyone else had!?

“What’s wrong with a pupil helping out his master?!” Yusuke snapped back, shouting back at Ryuji with just as much passion in his voice. “There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!”

“Kitagawa-kun-!” Ann gasped, taking a step backward, shocked by just how angry the boy sounded.

“Yusuke-san.” Akiko spoke up, her voice cutting through the conversation. “...Are...are you really okay with how things are?”

Yusuke took a step back, putting space between himself and the other teens. “I...I’m supporting Sensei as his pupil...Where’s the wrong in that?”

The three students from Shujin didn’t have a reply for him, so Yusuke sighed and sat back down in his chair.

“Don’t ever come back here again.” Yusuke settled after a moment of silence. “If you do, I’ll be forced to sue you all for causing a disturbance.”

“Hold it!” Ryuji cried, “We’re not done taking here!”

There was no way they could just let it end like this! 

“Then you leave me no choice.” Yusuke sighed, standing up so that he could fish his phone out his pocket. “I’m reporting you to the police.”

“H-Hey now!” Ann cried, raising her hands defensively, trying to calm Yusuke down.

“I asked Kurusu-san to be my model today, but I don’t recall ever asking you two to come as well.”

“And we told you! We’re her friends and we’re not gonna leave her alone with you, when you could turn out to be a perv!” Ryuji snapped back, but Ann grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back away from Yusuke. “What the eff if your problem, man!?”

“Ryuji!” Ann butt in, digging her nails into his arm as she squeezed his bicep tightly. “Stop it!”

“Kitagawa-san please...” Akiko whimpered and Ryuji quickly whipped his head to look over at his friend because that wobble in her voice made his stomach drop in a way he couldn’t explain.

“K-Kurusu-san?” Yusuke stuttered, as Akiko took a small step forward. Her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears from behind her glasses.

“P-Please Kitagawa-san...” Akiko begged, her voice raising several pitches in distress as she took another hesitant step forward, her hands clasped in front of her like she was praying.

“Please... Please don’t call the police! I beg of you, please!” Akiko cried, her voice breaking and Ryuji couldn’t tell from where he was standing, but it sounded like she might really be crying. “Please, Kitagawa-san.... please....please....I beg of you please....”

Both Ryuji and Ann were frozen in shock. It wasn’t the first time that Ryuji had seen Akiko openly express such emotion or vulnerability, but it was probably Ann’s first time and even if Ryuji had seen this side of her before, it still didn’t mean that it wasn’t disarming.

He wasn’t used to seeing the normally stoic and reserved girl being so...open...

“K-Kurusu-san...” Yusuke mumbled, before sighing. He locked his phone and put it away into his pocket. “Alright... I won’t report you... Under one condition.”

“What...condition?” Ann asked, sounding hesitant.

“I want Kursusu-san to continue to be my model.” Yusuke turned to the girl, speaking gently as to hopefully not spur anymore tears.

“B-But you said that... that it didn’t work out today...” Akiko mumbled, using her coat sleeve to rub at her eyes, pushing her glasses up and out of her face, messing up her bangs even more.

“That’s-” Yusuke started and cut himself off with a sigh, crossing his arms uncomfortably. “That’s because I was being modest, for your sake.”

Modest?

Ryuji didn’t like the sound of that.

“However, I have nothing to worry about any more. If you’re willing to pose for me, as I had imagined in my head, and could wear the proper robes...”

“P-Pose? R-Robes?” Akiko stuttered, not quite following where Kitagawa was going with this, and neither did Ryuji if he was being honest.

It sounded dirty...

Ryuji clenched his fists and got ready to clock the bastard, deal or no deal.

“Kurusu-san!” Yusuke cried dramatically, “With your unbridled assistance, I will put my heart and soul into creating the best painting of an Onryō ever!”

...

...

...

“An-....an O-Onryō?” Akiko repeated, confused if she’d heard correctly or not.

“A....vengeful spirit?” Ryuji sputtered, images of popular horror characters like the girl from the Ring series or the woman in the Grudge movies, or all the other dead women with long black hair wearing white dresses in all the countless spin off horror movies to hit the market over the years...

“Yes! The moment I saw you walking to the train, I knew it at once!” Yusuke beamed, oblivious to the shocked looks of his fellow teenagers.

“Your deathly pale white skin! Your long black hair, messy and tousled beyond comparison, as if you’ve fought for your life and failed!” The Artist continued to lament, a passion in his voice really unbefitting of his words. “I knew it right away, I would never again find a person alive who so perfectly fit the description of an Onryō!”

Okay...so it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was, Ryuji conceded. It wasn’t porn, that was at least one thing. But still, to tell someone to their face that you were going to use them as a model for an angry, vengeful spirit, seeking revenge for their deaths?!

Ryuji could have laughed. People may give him a hard time for not knowing how to talk to girls, but holy shit! At least he wasn’t as bad as pretty boy here!

At least he knew better than that!

“A-Are you for real!?” Ann shrieked, getting mad on Akiko’s behalf. “Y-You can’t just-! How rude! Aki-chan is a beautiful girl, not some, some, some corpse! Come back from the grave!”

“I am not denying that she's a beautiful girl.” Yusuke shook his head, “But beauty can be cherished and desired and taken from this world, by selfish, ugly people! I want to express that with my art!”

Yusuke clasped his hands together and sighed dramatically, looking up at the ceiling as if praying to a god above. “To think I’d be able to create my ideal Onryō painting with my most ideal model!” 

“Of course, You won’t be allowed in.” Yusuke turned, giving Ryuji a nasty look, before offering Ann a softer one, “And I ask that you don’t come either, Takamaki-san. And I’d ask that you both forget about our discussion today, as well.”

The taller teen sighed, crossing his arms in thought, as he muttered to himself. “If I don’t submit a new piece to Sensei soon...there will be inconveniences....”

“I...I’ll just h-have to w-wear a robe right?” Akiko asked, looking for confirmation. “Like, a yukata or something?”

“A Nagajuban, actually.” Yusuke corrected.

A nagajuban!?

Ryuji felt his own cheeks turn pink.

“H-Hey!” Ann cried, indignantly. “That’s just the underwear of a Kimono!”

“Yes, I’m aware.” Yusuke nodded, once again either oblivious to, or uncaring of Ann’s outrage. He turned his attention back to Akiko, continuing. “I was also hoping that you’d forgo any other undergarments. The pose I had envisioned had a breast exposed.”

The skinny bastard had the nerve to use a hand to gesture to which side he was referring to!

Ryuji tried hard not to think about Akiko’s left breast, hanging free and loose, exposed to the chilly air...

He tried his hardest not to think about it.

“B-B-Breast-!” Akiko cried, her cheeks quickly turning a very bright colour of red, her arms coming up to cross over her chest, hands clasping tightly at her next to help keep her arms close, preemptively covering herself even though she was still in her uniform.

“Listen up you perv-!” Ryuji started, his hands clenched into fists again, ready to throw down.

“Those are my terms.” Yusuke said firmly, crossing his arms. “You can agree to them, or I can call the police. It’s up to you.”

“Aki-chan?” Ann asked, moving to her friend's side, gently touching her shoulder. “It’s...It’s your choice. It’s your body after all...”

“Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on, so I can use this place freely during that time...” Yusuke pondered aloud, before gasping. “I should buy more art supplies. I’ll certainly need more black ink...”

“Hey!” Ann snapped, glaring at the boy. “Give us a second here! She hasn’t answered you yet!”

“Of course, I’m willing to wait.” Yusuke smiled, “I’ll make time according to your plans, but please, come before the exhibit ends.”

“That’s not what I mean! Why aren’t you listening?!” Ann cried, wrapping her arms around Akiko who was still wrapping her arms as tightly around herself as she possibly could.

“Sensei will be returning home soon.” Yusuke continued to ignore them, glancing at the clock on the wall. “We’re done for today. Kurusu-san, I will be waiting for you to contact me.”

“No! No no no no!” Ann protested. “We’re not done talking here!”

But it seemed that Yusuke was done talking, as he turned his back to the group and began taking stock of his art supplies, muttering to himself and the new materials that he would need.

“Hey...” Ryuji muttered, glancing over at the two girls. “What should we do?”

“We... we should leave....” Akiko offered, slowly detaching herself from Ann and moving to gather up her bag, frowning at the lack of weight.

“Shit yeah...” Ryuji conceded, “We should get outta here... Not like we can really argue any further...”

“Why are you both giving up so easily?!” came Ann’s confused cry, but it was no use. It wasn’t like Akiko could really afford another run in with the Police after all.

Ryuji slid open the door to the room, ready to head up, when he was stopped by Morgana, who just happened to be right outside the door.

“Hmm? Are we done modeling now?” The cat asked, tilting his head.

“...a Cat?” Yusuke asked from behind them.

SHIT!

The pretty boy could ignore them calling his name and trying to ask him questions, but a couple mews from Morgana got his attention!?

“You moron!” Ryuji hissed, grabbing the dumb cat by the scruff of the neck and making a dash for the door, Ann and Akiko following quickly behind, shouting goodbyes to Yusuke as they ran from his room and down the stairs.

\---

“He’s totally out of his mind!” Ann shrieked, now that they were outside and could speak a little more freely. “What’s he thinking!? Pose nude or call the cops!? What a jerk!”

“I couldn’t agree more, Lady Ann!” Morgana piped up, now that he’d been filled in on what he’d missed while exploring the home.

“At least it’s a Semi-nude and not a full on one.” Ryuji shrugged a little. Like, it was bad, but it could easily be way worse.

“A F-Fu-Full nude?!” Ann stuttered, turning red faced. “You don’t think he’d go that far, do you?!”

Why was she getting so upset? 

It wasn't like it was Ann who had to show her tits to the guy.

“It doesn’t matter. If we can make Madarame confess before the exhibit ends, Yusuke won’t have to make a painting for him anymore, right?” Ryuji sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

“But...” Ann sighed. “Kitagawa-kun also said that...that he owed his life to Madarame... Is there really a need to make him confess?”

Ryuji shook his head. “Don’t you see? Madarame is no different from Kamoshida. That asshole’s usin’ Yusuke, taking advantage of him because he doesn’t have parents. You’re tellin’ me that we should just ignore how he’s bein’ treated horribly like the other pupils?”

“He...He is really skinny...” Ann sighed, reluctantly seeing his point.. “It.. It is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun says that he’s fine with it himself...”

“See? That’s why we gotta go after this guy!” Ryuji insisted. “Madarame’s the kind of target we’ve been waitin’ for! We can help Yusuke come to his senses too! Like with Mishima!”

Ann smiled a little at that and nodded. “Right.”

“Besides!” Ryuji insisted. “There might be even more stuff that hasn’t been exposed yet!”

“It could be easier for us to investigate his Palace if he’s preoccupied with his exhibit.” Morgana mused aloud.

“...Didn’t Kitagawa-san say there would be... ‘inconveniences’ if he didn’t submit a new piece to Madarame before the end of the exhibit?” Akiko asked, sounding nervous. “W-what if...what if Madarame intends to announce it as his next work?”

But wait...

That meant...

“The whole country’s gonna see your tit!?” Ryuji gasped, eyes going wide.

“O-Ooh no...” Akiko mumbled, looking pale. Her knees wobbled and Ann rushed to her side, taking her gently by the arms and helping her sit down on the metal fence that Ryuji had leaned against the day before.

“Aki-chan!” Ann fussed, “Y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to!”

“But what about dealing with Madarame? We have to do something about him, before the exhibit ends!” Morgana insisted.

“Hey! Excuse me! Can I talk to you kids for a sec?” A woman's voice cut through their conversation like a knife and all three teens and one cat turned to a woman, in her mid to late twenties maybe? She was wearing a camera around her neck and a fanny pack on her hip. Ryuji had to admit that he liked her orange sunglasses. They were a little too big for his taste, but he’d like a pair kinda like them for running one day...

“Do we know you?” Ryuji asked, tilting his head.

The woman ignored his question for the time being. “From the looks of things, you don’t seem like the ordinary, stalking fans.”

“We’re not stalkers-” Ann started to protest, but the woman just laughed and waved a hand.

“Sorry, sorry, I should have been more clear. I’m actually looking for people that know Madarame’s pupils.” She smiled, explaining easily. “See, there’s this painting, ‘Sayuri’, that was supposedly stolen in the past, but there’s this rumor that it was actually taken by one of his pupils, in retaliations for being abused. You kids won’t know anything about that, would you?”

“W-we don’t know nothing.” Ryuji stammered quickly, shaking his head. He didn’t want to talk to some undercover cop or whatever she was!

The woman sighed, adjusting her camera strap. “There’s no case unless there’s a victim, and if there’s no proof of abuse, I can’t write about either...It looks like I’m back to square one.”

“I’m sorry to have taken your time.” She sighed once more and bowed her head a little, before reaching into her fanny pack. “I’m a journalist. If you ever get any leads, mind contacting me at this number?” 

She passed over a business card to Ryuji, who passed it over to Akiko. She’d hold onto it better than he would.

The woman quickly excused herself and with that, the group called it a night.

Ryuji was hungry, tired, and his back hurt from sitting in that crappy chair for so many hours while that Yusuke guy tried and failed to sketch Akiko today.

What an effin’ mess they’d gotten into.

\---

The second Ryuji found the old blog post, he knew it was bad, but he once he finished reading, and confirmed that...that it had actually happened, he had to tell the group.

He quickly pulled up the chat.

 **Ryuji:** I just found out something insane.

 **Ryuji:** Madarame had this student who killed himself when he wasn’t able to get anyone to believe him about the thrift of his art.

 **Akiko:** Seriously?

 **Ann:** That journalist was looking into Madarame too.

 **Ann:** That makes it more credible to me...

 **Ryuji:** Someone died though. 

**Ryuji:** I found the guys blog, and then I googled the obituaries. The guy is dead.

 **Ryuji:** And no one else is talking about it. I bet it was covered up.

 **Ann:** Do you think Kitagawa-kun heard anything?

 **Ann:** I wish we could have his help...

 **Ryuji:** After today, he’s prolly gonna be super on edge about us...

 **Ryuji:** But regardless of that, Madarame’s a piece of crap!

 **Ryuji:** Let’s meet up tomorrow, at our new hideout.

 **Ann:** In the walkway in Shibuya right? Got it.

There was a long pause, while Ryuji waited for Akiko to respond. It was pretty much a given that she’d be there, but there was a chance that Sakura-san would need her at the Cafe or something.

 **Akiko:** Mishima-kun called me just now.

 **Akiko:** Nakanohara, Madaramae’s former student, will be waiting for us in the underground walkway of Shibuya tomorrow.

Well shit! That wasn’t what Ryuji had been expecting! But he wasn’t going to look that gift horse in the mouth!

 **Ann:** Aki-chan! Way to go!

 **Ann:** That’s a fantastic lead!

 **Akiko:** It was Mishima-kun who organized it.

 **Ryuji:** So we talk to that Nakanohara guy tomorrow, and then should we try and go back into the Palace again?

 **Ann:** Sounds like a plan to me!

 **Akiko:** Works for me.

And with that settled, Ryuji threw his phone back onto his bed and stretched his arms above his head. He then sat down on the floor in front of his TV and booted up his Play Storm.

He just had a few more levels to go on super soy lad and he was gonna beat ‘em tonight! That was a promise!

And if he didn’t...

Well...

He could load up Fatality Fighters and blow off some steam then.

And if he couldn’t blow off steam that way, then he’d do it by kicking some shadow’s ass in the Palace tomorrow!

\---

They’d met with Nakanohara, and he’d only confirmed their suspicions.

Yusuke wanted out, but he really felt like he had no other choice...

Ryuji was ready to make Madarame pay for being such a shit-bag, while both Akiko and Ann expressed sentiments of wanting to rescue Yusuke from the situation he was trapped in.

Regardless of their motivations for being here, they were still here however.

This tacky gold museum with massive paintings and awful statues...

The massive blue and golden doors with the peacock wings at the end of the hall were inaccessible, due to all the red, crackling laser wires that blocked the path.

“What the hell!?” Ryuji cried, stopping himself just short of running into one. That would have hurt!

“Infrared lasers!?” Ann cried, skidding to a halt as well. “There’s no way we can get past this!”

SHIT! 

And they had been making such good progress too...

They’d only really only had trouble with a fight or two, and they’d already found one of those weird will seed skull looking things!

Ryuji sighed heavily, his shoulders slouching.

It really sucked that they were running into this big a roadblock so quickly.

“This level of security only proves that there’s something worth protecting up ahead.” Morgana purred, crossing his arms as he surveyed the task ahead.

“Wait, this sign has something written on it!” Ann noticed, moving towards the stand, gold plated just like everything else around here. It was really starting to hurt Ryuji’s eyes.

“All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it. Please be cautious, as it is Impossible to open from the outside?!” Ann gasped, reading the sign aloud, her finger following along with the text.

Impossible?!

“So what?!” Ryuji gasped, “It’s never gonna open!? How’re we supposed to get past then!?”

Morgana jumped up and down, getting their attention. “I’ve seen that pattern on the door before! There’s no mistaking it! Guys, we should head back!”

“Huh?!” Ryuji gasped, giving the cat an odd look. “Why?!” They’d only just gotten here!

“I know what real-world door that’s based on!” Morgana cried, pointing to the massive blue and gold doors at the base of the enormous gold shimmering building that they, presumably, needed to get into. “I have an idea on how to open it, but we can’t do it here, so come on let’s go!”

And with that the black cat ran off, heading back the way they came.

Akiko quickly took off after him, and Ryuji and Ann followed up behind.

\---

The slipping feeling of leaving the Metaverse and entering Reality was becoming more and more natural to Ryuji as they continued to do it. He wondered sometimes if he might do it on accident one day...

If it weren't for the fact that they went from a gold and navy blue museum to a decrepit rundown shack, Ryuji wouldn’t have even noticed really....

“So, Mona. how are we supposed to get past that door?” Ann asked, turning to face the cat who was once again in Akiko’s bag.

“Don’t you guys remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame’s Palace, and I scouted it out the last time we were here.” Morgana smirked. “I found a suspicious place while doing so!”

“Woah Morgana, so this was your plan from the start?” Ann gasped.

“Correct.”

“Bullshit, you only went scouting because you got bored.” Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“T-That’s untrue!” The cat gasped, giving Ryuji an offended look.

“Where’s the suspicious place, Mona?” Akiko asked, steering the conversation back on course.

“On the second floor, at the end of the hall and take a left turn.” Morgana described. “I found a door with that same peacock pattern as in the Palace, and it had an unnaturally hefty lock on it.”

“If it’s locked, that means Madarame must not want people to see what’s in there.” Ann reasoned.

“But don’t we wanna be opening the door in the Palace?”

What good would opening the door in reality do?

Morgana nodded. “Yes. And we’re going to be doing that by opening the real one right in front of Madarame’s eyes. Basically, we’re going to change his cognition that opening that door is impossible.”

“Like how we made Kamoshida realize that he had a treasure?” Ann asked, pushing a stray piece of hair back into place. “So when we open the door in Madarame’s house, that area in his Palace will open on it’s own?”

“There’s no chance it won’t work!” Morgana promised before his ears fell back. “I think...”

Well that was promising.

“You believe me, don’t you Joker?”

Akiko sighed softly. “I... I suppose....”

“Why doesn’t anyone trust me! It’s worth a try!” Morgana cried, offended that no one was trusting his plan unwaveringly. 

“Morgana, I can’t get in trouble with the police again...” Akiko offered softly, trying to reason with the distressed feline.

“Not to mention that you said it was ‘an unnaturally hefty lock’ right? How are we supposed to deal with it?” Ann pressed, and Ryuji could see that Morgana wasn’t done.

“I know how to pick locks!” He insisted. “Just give me a hairpin, I can handle it! It will take some time though...doing everything by myself in front of Madarame would be impossible. If only there were someone who could distract him for a while...”

“I...I see what you’re hinting at...” Akiko sighed, her head sinking down.

“What?” Ann asked, looking between Akiko and Morgana on her shoulder.

“Oh.....Ohh!” Ryuji realized what Morgana was hinting at too! “I mean, how else are we gonna get into his house again? We'll be reported for sure if we tried to force our way in...”

“No...” Ann groaned, the lightbulb finally clicking on behind her eyes.

“It’s the only way Ann-chan... I... I have to model for Kitagawa-san...” Akiko sighed, wrapping an arm around herself self consciously.

“It’s not like you’ll really have to...you know... show him anything!” Ryuji cried, raising his hands defensively. 

“Exactly!” Morgana agreed. “It’s simply the best excuse for you to enter Madarame’s house without raising suspicions. Don’t worry about finding the locked door either! I will accompany you, while these two go into the Palace and wait for the door to open!”

“But that’s still technically only Aki-chan alone with Kitagawa-kun and Madarame!” Ann protested, “What if she gets caught?!”

“Then we’ll run into the Palace!” Morgana suggested and Ryuji had to admit... it wasn’t a bad plan...

“Ann-chan...it’s okay....” Akiko mumbled, shaking her head softly. “There’s... there’s no other way.”

Ryuji noted that it sounded more like she was accepting her execution rather than a modeling gig.

“It shouldn't be so bad Aki.” Ryuji offered. “All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, and then just open the door!”

“Don’t make it sound so easy!” Ann swatted at Ryuji’s shoulder, and he took a side step away from her, rubbing at his arm. 

Owww.....

“Ann-chan... It’s okay. There’s no other way. I don’t have a choice.”

“We’ll be countin’ on you to pick the lock, Morgana. Just don’t let Yusuke notice you, all right?”

Morgana nodded and that sealed it.

“All right! Let’s get down and dirty tomorrow!”

“T-Tomorrow?” Akiko gasped, looking up at Ryuji with wide eyes.

“Well, yeah, the sooner the better right?”

“B-but...” Akiko bit her lip and took a shaky breath. “W-What if Kitagawa-san is busy?”

“Just say something cute like, “I really really need it to be tomorrow, ‘kay?” guys eat that shit up.”

Ann and Akiko gave each other skeptical looks, but Ryuji knew he was right.

They watched as Akiko typed out a text, and spent it off to Yusuke.

There was no point in hanging around for a reply, and it was getting late, so they called it a night and split ways for the day, shortly after that, each of them heading different ways to get home.

\--------------------------------------

When the doorbell chimed just a few minutes past five, Yusuke practically leapt from his chair and ran down the stairs. 

Sliding open the front door, he was pleased to see Kurusu Akiko waiting, almost exactly on time as she had promised the previous night.

She'd been very kind and apologized for her friend's behavior and had even offered to model for him the next day!

It was almost too good to be true!

“Kurusu-san!” He grinned, opening the door wider to let her slip inside. “Please, come inside. I hadn’t expected it to rain today, I hope you didn't have any trouble getting here...”

“T-Thank you Kitagawa-kun.” Akiko nodded and slipped inside, keeping her distance from him and gripping at her bag tightly. She was nervous, it was understandable. Not everyone was a confidant model, but he was sure that once she saw what he had in mind, she’d understand the beauty of his vision.

Akiko took a moment to slip her shoes off in the entryway before Yusuke led the way back up to his room.

He was eager to get started, his fingers were practically tingling in anticipation!

“To think that you’d really come...” He laughed, slipping into his room first so that he could gather the supplies for her. “In all honesty, I had assumed you were lying when you contacted me.”

“I...I apologize if it was too sudden...” Kurusu-san offered from behind him, her voice nervous and unsure.

“It’s no problem, I assure you.” He tried to ease her worries. He’d honestly had no other plans other than trying more art done for Sensei. He’d managed to go to the supplies store yesterday so thankfully he was stocked up and ready to go. “But, again, as I mentioned yesterday, we only have so much time before Sensei will be returning. Possibly twenty to forty minutes? I... I apologize if that causes some...anxiety on your part.”

“T-that’s fine...” Akiko mumbled and Yusuke turned to face her.

“Here, this is the Nagajuban I’d like for you to wear.” He stood and turned, offering her the thin white button robe. “There is a also a datejima in there as well.”

Akiko took a few steps forward, accepting the folded bundle of cloth. Her small, delicate hands brushing softly against his own briefly, until they each took a quick step back from one another. 

“I...I’ll step out of the room so that you can change...”

“A-Actually!” Akiko interrupted him, taking a step to the side to block his path. “I need to use the bathroom! I could change in there too...”

“O-oh!” Yusuke flushed. He hadn’t even thought to offer her-! “Of course! Please, follow me.”

He stepped into the hall and began to lead the way towards the bathroom just two doors down from his own room. It was small, and Yusuke was embarrassed to admit it, but he wasn’t sure when the last time he’d cleaned it had been. 

He hoped that Kurusu-san wouldn’t think less of him for it...

“T-thank you Kitagawa-san.” Akiko mumbled quickly, before brushing inside him and closing the door behind her.

Yusuke would admit he was a little shocked by the speed and force in which his model had closed the bathroom door, but he supposed when one had to go...

He cleared his throat and quickly made his way back to his bedroom.

Best give her some privacy for the moment.

\----

Five minutes past.

Then ten...

By the time fifteen minutes had passed, Yusuke was once again walking down the hall, hesitantly approaching the bathroom where he’d left his model not too long ago.

“K-Kurusu-san?” He called, reaching out and knocking on the door. “Is...is everything alright?”

“I...” Kurusu’s voice was muffled behind the door. “I’m having some p-problems with the datejima...”

“I...I see..” Yusuke swallowed. He supposed it would be hard to tie the waist wrap without assistance, if one wasn’t used to it.

But they were running out of time... Sensei would be home soon...

“However you’ve done it is fine, I’m sure Kurusu-san.” He offered, once again knocking on the door, before his hand slid to the handle, ready to pull open the door. “M-might I come in? I-...I could offer assistance...”

“W-Wait! Please don't-!” It was too late however, as Yusuke had already slid the door open, exposing Akiko’s form inside.

The girl was a vision.

Something brushed past his legs, but he was too entranced by the sight before his eyes.

She was... exactly how he’d imagined she’d look, wrapped in white and red.

Her pale skin was nearly indistinguishable from the pale cotton fabric of the Nagajuban, her thick black locks spilling down her back freely and a part of Yusuke wished he had a working fan, so that he might get to see her hair blowing in an ethereal breeze like the vision of a spirit from legend and folklore. He just needed to ask her to set her glasses aside, muss up her hair even more, and once he could get her posed as he’d envisioned... it would be perfect.

She was perfect...

“You...you look...” He stuttered, unable to put into words just how perfectly she fit his idea.

“Kitagawa-san please don’t....” Akiko whispered, ducking her head down and Yusuke found himself tilting his own head in confusion.

Don’t do what? 

Appreciate beauty?

Forgive him, Kurusu-san, but as an artist that wasn’t something he was able to do...

“You’re exactly the model I’ve been looking for.” He muttered a little breathlessly, but she didn’t understand. 

“K-Kitagawa-san...” Akiko mumbled back, glancing away from him and placing her shaking hands over the blood red belt wrapped around her waist.

He could see what she meant by having trouble with it, the very ends of her long black hair were tangled up, trapped between the rope and the flat fabric aspects of the datejima. The knot itself was a sorry excuse of a tie, and it pained him to see such a beautiful tradition marred with such abysmal knotsmanship. 

“Let me just...” He offered, taking a step forward, his hands itching to fix the datejima quickly.

Akiko’s hands flew up to clasp either side of the Nagajuban’s collar, holding it closed tightly across her chest as Yusuke stepped into the bathroom and quickly undid the knot, loosening the datejima enough that he was able to quickly adjust and tie to correctly around her slim waist.

This close to her, he could smell the heavy, warm smell of coffee and spices lingering in her hair.

Once he was finished he took a step back and took in his hard work.

She was perfect...

Simply perfect...

And it was at that moment that Yusuke realized he was standing in the doorway to his bathroom, preventing a young woman from leaving it.

“Ah, F-Forgive me!” He flushed, taking a step backwards so that Akiko could gather her things and leave the bathroom in peace.

“T-that’s okay... But I...I wanted to ask something...” Kurusu-san mumbled as she picked up her school bag and put her uniform inside. That was odd.. Had her bag always looked so light?

Hadn’t it been much heavier looking when she’d entered?

“Anything! Ask away!” He cleared his throat, gesturing for the two of them to head towards his bedroom again.

“T-The bathroom didn’t have a lock on it... does your bedroom door have one?”

“N-no, the only door with a lock on it is Sensei’s.” Yusuke explained, shaking his head.

“C-Could it be possible to...to do this there?”

“No.” Yusuke said a little more firmly. He didn’t want to be rude with her, but he needed her to understand why he couldn’t oblige her request. “Even I am not permitted to intrude. Besides, I don’t have the key.”

“But...If...If I’m to...to really expose myself...” Akiko stuttered over her words, “I...I want to make sure no one can walk in on us...”

“I... I do want you to be comfortable.” Yusuke mumbled to himself as he thought about what to do.

An unhappy model made for an uncomfortable painting afterall...

Not to mention...

“She may even be willing to try even more...revealing poses for use in a dynamic composition...” He thought aloud. He’d envisioned her laying on her back, nagajuban torn open to the side, exposing a single breast to the air, as her hair spilled beneath her like ink from a well, but if he could get even more intimate angles, even closer details...

Maybe laying on her sides, as both breasts spilled forth from the fabric? Or possibly, stepping forward, exposing the vast white plain of her bare thigh....

“R-R-Revealing poses?!” Akiko squeaked from behind him before she cleared her throat a little. “I...I suppose... but only if we can find a private room...with a lock.”

“B-But like I said, it’s only Sensei’s room-”

“Then let's go there.” Faster than Yusuke had expected, Akiko turned and took off down the hall, glancing left and right as she went.

“K-Kurusu-san! Please! Wait!” He called, stumbling after her in shock. Where had this confidence been earlier?! “We really can’t use any other room!”

“What’s past here?”

“Kurusu-san please!” He cried, rushing down the hall, following after the glimpse of black hair and white robes as they flashed around the corner to the left.

Oh no!

She was heading straight to Sensei’s room!

Akiko had frozen just before the door, looking panicked.

“Kurusu-san, please, I keep telling you-!”

“Kitagawa-k-kun! What’s behind this door?” Akiko asked, stepping forward to stop him from getting any closer, offering him a smile.

“I-It’s a storage room for old paintings.” He’d only ever seen inside a few times, Sensei was extremely protective over his art after all.

“Storage...” Kurusu-san mumbled, her eyes sparkling in thought before she offered him another wide smile. “Kitagawa-kun, why don’t we do this in there?”

“I-I’m sorry but we really can’t-!”

“I won’t be embarrassed if we go somewhere that nobody will be able to find us, please Kitagawa-kun?” Akiko asked, leaning forward, batting her eyes at his, her long dark lashes fluttering over her rosy cheeks and it was getting warm under his collar.

“B-But only Sensei can go in there...” He protested, but Akiko cut him off as she took a step forward, reaching out slightly to grasp his hand between her own.

He shuddered softly. Her fingertips were as soft as cherry blossom petals and a part of Yusuke longed to hold her hand for forever...

“Please Kitagawa-kun?” Akiko pressed gently, tugging softly at his hand. “I... I want to be alone with you...”

There was what almost sounded like a meow coming from the storage room, but Akiko ignored it, so Yusuke must be imagining things...

“K-Kitagawa-kun...I... I want to show you my f-f-feelings...”

F-Feelings? Yusuke felt his face flush and the skin beneath his collar began to heat up, stronger than before and his pulse raced through his veins. 

Oh my...

“K-Kurusu-c-chan, I- I must insist-”

“Y-Yusuke-kun?” Akiko pressed and Yusuke had to swallow a lump in his throat. 

When had she gotten so close to him? They were practically standing toe to toe now... He glanced down at where she was still holding his hand, now raised and...and...and...

He suddenly felt faint as he realized that Akiko had pulled his hand up with her own as was now just mere inches away from her chest... her...unbound breasts...

The air in the home was chill enough this rainy spring morning that Yusuke could easily see through the thin layer of cotton that she’d done as he’d asked and forgone a bra once she’d dressed herself in the slip.

“Yusuke-kun, d-do you not like me?”

He felt dizzy at the implications!

“N-Not that’s not true, Kurusu-chan- I-!” Yusuke cut himself off, biting his lip. “What should I do?”

He was an artist... he needed to be a professional!

Professional painters didn’t....didn’t lust after their models like heathens!

But... but Kurusu-chan was... she was so...

The sound of the front door sliding open and closed broke him from his thoughts.

“I’m home!” His sensei called out and Yusuke gasped.

Already? They’d wasted so much time already!?

“Sensei!” He called out instead of a greeting, too shocked by just how quickly everything was moving.

“Yusuke?

There was a loud thump, that sounded like something metal hitting the floor, yet another meow, and when Yusuke turned around, Kurusu-chan was gone!

She’d let go of his hand and had vanished!

He quickly took a step forward and nearly dropped his jaw when he saw that Akiko had somehow opened the door to Sensei’s storage room and was several steps inside already!

Oh no.

This was bad.

This was very very bad.

“K-Kurusu-chan, please-!” He whispered, trying to urge her to come out before they both got into trouble. Madarame-sensei may be a kind man, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t have a temper! Yusuke was loathed to think of what might happen to the girl if his sensei were to catch her in a room she had no business being in!

“Stop! What are you doing there!?” His Sensei’s voice barked sharply from behind him and Yusuke flinched, whipping around to try and calm his Sensei before it got any worse.

“S-Sensei, please! I-it’s not what it looks lii-iaahh!” He nearly tripped over his own feet as something, Kurusu-chan maybe? Grabbed him by the arm and dragged him backwards, stumbling blindly into the storage room.

“NO! Don’t you go in there!” Madarame-sensei’s enraged voice called after them and Yusuke desperately hoped that he’d be able to apologize his way out of this one...

\--------------------------------------

“Do you think they’re doing alright out there?” Ann asked, pacing back and forth for what felt like the hundredth time. Her heels clacked against the tile and Ryuji wasn’t sure what was giving him the worse headache, that or all the damn gold sparkling everywhere.

“It’s been too long, Madarame should have gotten back by now-” As if on cue, the whole room began to shake and in an instant the doors slammed open and the lasers shut off and the metal pillars that had been projecting them sunk back down into the ground.

“It’s off!” Ryuji gasped, uncrossing his arms in surprise. “They did it! See, Ann? Told ya they would.”

He’d had doubts about that furball, but there was no way that Akiko would let them down.

She'd never let 'em down.

“Let’s hurry up and get to that security room Mona was talking about!” Ann ignored him, rushing forward, her Phantom suits red tail swishing along behind her. “These could come back on any second!”

“Right! The control room!” Ryuji gasped, running along behind her. “But are we really gonna be okay, you and me? What if we run into any enemies?”

Ann gave him a small smile over her shoulder. “I think you and I can kick some ass, right?”

“Heh.” That was more comforting to hear than she knew. “I’ll be countin’ you!”

Good thing they made that agreement because they hardly got a few steps in before they encountered a guard.

“How did you get past the security system?!” The shadow cried, quickly revealing his true form, a massive beast with arms and legs like a tiger, a body like a gorilla, and a face like a nightmare...

“You’re trespassing on Lord Madarame’s territory!”

“You guys aint got nothing on us! Right Panther!?”

“Let's show ‘em Skull!”

Hehe, sure this thing looked freaky, but in all honesty...

He was far more afraid of screwing up and getting Akiko in trouble with the cops again than he’d ever be of this thing!

“Captain Kidd, let’s give ‘em hell!” He called, and his fellow Phantom thief had the same idea.

“Dance Carmen!” She called, sending a wave of fire at the beast, sending it stumbling backwards off its feet, trying to dodge the flames and the crackles of electricity that Ryuji followed up with just behind Ann’s attack.

“Let’s take him down!” He called, giving the command for an All out Attack.

\---

It took longer than they would have liked, but things were much harder now with just the two of them...

Ryuji had gotten knocked off his feet twice, that massive beast kept dropping something on his head and every time Ryuji thought he’d dodged it, he ended up being just off and getting the full force of the hit anyway.

His brain felt like a shoe in a tumble cycle.

It would be a pain in the ass if they got spotted again, so they made a beeline to the control room, stumbling as they did so. It didn’t take much longer than that and after a couple clicks of the mouse, they’d managed to completely disengage the security protocols for the lasers in the courtyard!

“Mission complete, let’s get out of here!” Ann cheered, high fiving Ryuji once they got the affirmative from the computer that they’d in fact done what they came to do.

Angry voices from deeper within the building sent the two of the sprinting back to the courtyard, the way they came.

The door closed behind them, blocking them from view of whoever lay behind for now, but Ryuji saw that it wasn’t the same large massive doors from early, but just the plain metal ones they’d managed to push past all throughout the rest of the Palace.

Looks like Morgana was right in that once Madarame’s cognition of the door being unopenable it would stay that way for good.

“We did it!” Ryuji cheered, “Security is totally off! Now to just get Aki and Mona!”

Once they crossed the courtyard and were back at the point they were waiting at before, the two stopped to catch their breaths.

“Should we head to the real world or-?” Ann began to ask, but something cut her off.

“-RUSU-CHAAN!”

“AHHH!”

Faster than either Ann nor Ryuji could react, a blur of black and white and red came crashing down from the sky.

Ryuji jumped back, giving a startled yelp as Kitawaga of all people struggled to support himself and Akiko!

Somehow, the two of them had come into the Metaverse here and with reflexes Ryuji had doubted the other boy had had, he’d managed to catch Akiko before she landed on the ground in a messy heap.

Ryuji had to admit for a moment there...the pretty boy kinda looked like a prince charming, holding Akiko in his arms like she were a precious princess and not a phantom thief, her leather clad legs slung delicately over one arm, her upper back being supported by the other, even if it was impossible to see under all her hair. Akiko’s arms wrapped around the other boy’s neck, tightly, desperately searching for stability in his grasp.

“H-Hey-!” Ryuji protested, taking a step forward, ready to help Akiko get her feet back on the ground, when from the sky came their fourth and final member, Morgana.

The Black and white monster-cat crashed into the back of Kitagawa’s head, knocking the boy off his already unstable balance.

Akiko gave a small shriek, more of a squeak really, as Yusuke toppled forward, his legs giving out from under him, his weight falling forward with hers.

The end result had Akiko laying on the floor, Yusuke cradling the back of her head with one hand, and the other pressed firmly on the ground on the other side of her body, as he knelt next to her side.

Morgana was the first to recover, staggering to his feet, using both his paws to dramatically rub at his tail region. “Aaaagh....Ooooowww!”

“K-Kurusu-chan...” Kitagawa gasped, his voice breathless and shaky. “Are... are you alright?”

“I-I-...” Akiko stuttered, her face slowly flushing from pink to red to scarlet to vibrant glowing red.

W-what was happening here?

What the hell was happening here!?

Ryuji didn’t understand why his heart was pounding as quickly as it was.

Why was he reacting like this?

Kitagawa Yusuke was half hovering over Kurusu Akiko, and Ryuji was reminded of an animated Cartoon from his youth. A story about a prince who kissed a princess awake and the two fell in love-

It was just a stupid story!

A dumb cartoon that had nothing to do with the here and now except for the stupid pose so why-!?

Why did Ryuji wanna clock that black hair pretty boy across the jaw? 

And why was he frozen in place unable to do anything?!

His legs felt like bricks of solid concrete...

“Hey, will you get off her already?!” Ann snapped, doing what Ryuji seemed incapable of doing and rushing forward to break them up, pulling Yusuke away by his collar.

“Urk!” The pretty boy jerked, tumbling backwards. “W-Who are all you?!” He gasped, looking around at the group of teens surrounding him “Where are we?!”

“Calm down, Kitagawa-kun.” Akiko offered gently as she pushed herself to her feet, brushing any dirt from her coat as she did so with her red clad gloves. “Are you alright? That was quite the tumble we took...”

“K-Kurusu-chan!?” Yusuke gasped, fully taking in her appearance, before he turned to the other two. “So that must mean you two are...”

Ann offered the artist a hand, helping him to his feet. “We didn’t mean to drag you into this quite like this, Kitagawa-kun. We’re sorry.”

“I don’t recall seeing this cat costume before....” He muttered, ignoring Ann’s apology and instead looking around at the elaborate and gaudy gold building looming above them.

“Just... where are we?” He asked once more, less frantically now.

“We’re inside Madarames’ heart.” Akiko offered, slipping easily into her role as leader, a more assertive and commanding tone to her voice that Ryuji almost exclusively heard while they were in the Meta-verse. He also noticed that her cheeks were still flushed.

“Inside....Sensei’s heart?” Yusuke repeated, giving Akiko a look like she was crazy. “I...forgive me Kurusu-san, but are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“She ain’t lyin’.” Ryuji offered, “This is what that bastard truly feels. He’s nothing but a greed-filled money-grubber.”

“Enough of this rubbish!” Yusuke spat, refusing to believe it.

“Kitagawa-san.” Akiko spoke, her sharp voice gaining his attention like a whip crack. “We spoke with Nakanohara-san.”

“S-Senpai?” Yuske gasped, his face paling.

“He told us something. He said you once told him that, if you have the choice, you would leave.” Akiko pressed. “Kitagawa-kun, if Madarame did nothing wrong why would his former pupil have taken his own life? Why would Nakanohara-san beg us to save you if Madarame wasn’t treating you unfairly?”

“S-Senpai...senpai asked you to...to save me?”

“Right now, we’re in something called a Palace. And it’s basically another Reality, as viewed through Madarame’s eyes. This is his true nature.” Akiko insisted, gesturing around to all the gaudy gold and the loose floating frames in the sky.

“This repulsive word is...” Yusuke trailed off in disbelief, shaking his head once more. “Just who are all you, really?”

“We’re teenagers, just like you Kitagawa-kun.” Akiko offered a small smile, but Ryuji suspected that wasn’t exactly the explanation that he was looking for.

“I guess you could say.... We’re a group of outcasts that changes the hearts of rotten crooks!”

“If...if everything you’re saying is true then...then everything I ever knew about Sensei....” Yusuke looked around, his eyes frantically darting about. “But.. but even still! He’s kept me safe these past then years! My gratitude for that won’t just disappear!”

“You’re gonna forgive him!?” Ryuji cried, unable to believe his ears. “At this rate you’ll-!”

Work for him until you die... was what Ryuji had planned to shout, but the taller boys’ face paled even more dramatically and Ryuji watched pitifully as the boy struggled not to vomit, a hand clapped over his mouth, lowering himself to his knees just in case.

“K-Kitagawa-kun!” Ann cried, rushing to his side. “Are you okay?”

“I...I’m trying to be rational about this... but my emotions are overwhelming me...”

“We don’t have time to dawdle!” Morgana hissed, his fur rising dramatically. “The security level’s gone through the roof, we have to go, now!”

He said that but... It didn't look like Yusuke was doing so hot...

“Here, Kitagawa-kun,” Akiko offered him a hand, her red leather covered palm extended out the trembling boy. “You can lean on my shoulder if you need...”

“N-No...It’s alright.” Yusuke denied, struggling to his feet. Ryuji could see the wobble in his knees from where he was standing. “I can stand...”

Sure he could stand, but could he run?

They needed to get moving and pronto!

\------------------------------

To think that such a disgusting and vain museum such as this...could truly be the inside of his Sensei’s heart...

Yusuke had to breathe deeply, in through his nose and out through his mouth, to stop himself from feeling nauseous again. It was deplorable...

The ostentatious gold wallpaper, the overly extravagant flooring, the over to the top and absurd detailing to every picture frame...

“Wait a minute!” He gasped, recognizing the face starring back down at him from the swatches of paint. “This... this painting...” 

Erika-Senpai...

“Did you know them?” Ann asked, looking to him for a reply. “We suspected that each painting was a former student of Madarame’s.”

But... but Erika-senpai...

“Why are there paintings of them here?” He asked, unable to tear his gaze away from her face. It had been years... He’d almost forgotten....

“Technically, they’re not actually paintings.” It was the...strange cat thing from before, the one that insisted they move and fast. “They’re the pupils themselves.”

The paintings... were the pupils?

This painting...was Erika-senpai? But that was just-!

“Madarame sees ‘em as nothing but objects, so that’s why they’re here on display. We uh... we found yours too.” Explained the blond haired punk, Yusuke had neglected to bother to remember his name...

He may want to rethink that stance once they got out of here... where here was...

“We can talk more later, but for now, let’s move!” Morgana insisted, ready to get back to their mad dash for the exit.

Yusuke struggled to keep up, but the others refused to let him fall behind, Takamaki keeping up the rear, with Kurusu and the blond boy leading the way around every corner and through every door.

They’d pushed past a large set of double doors and had almost made it all the way down a curving ramp, rushing past a large swirling gold statue that just by gazing at it for a moment Yusuke could see the symbolism drenched in its golden shiny curves and it made him sick to his stomach...

The open doorway they’d clearly intended to run through was quickly blocked however by guards, two of them, bursting from the floor like monsters of darkness and shade!

“The exit is right there!” Bemoaned the cat creature, a familiar voice from behind laughed at their misfortune. 

It was with a creeping dread in his stomach that Yusuke turned to face his Sensei, however...the man before him...

“Who’s-!?” Takamaki gasped, turning around to see what Yusuke saw. “What the-”

“Talk about bullshit!” Snorted the angry boy, “First a King, now some kinda Shogun!?”

“Ahahaha!” Laughed his Sensei? ‘Welcome to the museum of the Master Artist, Madarame!”

“S-Sensei, that can’t be you...”

The man before him looked like his sensei, and sounded like his sensei but...

But Madarame always said that an Artist puts one's passions over money and financial gain! So why was he wearing that tacky outfit? And just what was this place!?

“T-this... This is all one big lie, isn’t it?” 

It had to be...there was just no way...

His sensei would never...

He would lie to him like this...

Deceive him...use him...

Betray his trust...

The man in gold before him scoffed, staring down his nose as Yusuke, as if he were nothing more than a bug underfoot, and not the boy he’d raised for nearly a decade.

“My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act, you silly boy. Do you really think a famous person such as myself really lives in that rundown shack!? I have another home where I spend the majority of my time. Under a mistress's name, of course.”

But that still didn’t explain-

What about-?

“Sensei...tell me...” Yusuke implored, he needed answers, “If the ‘Sayuri’ was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?!”

He needed to know!

“If it’s really you, Sensei, please tell me!”

“Foolish child.” Madarame spat.

Yusuke felt his blood run cold. 

“You still don’t see? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor that I spread to begin with! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!”

A shiver ran up his spine, sending goose bumps down each of his arms and legs, making every hair stand on end.  
“W-what do you mean?”

Yusuke felt sick, like every cell in his body was slowly turning to ice in his veins.

“How does this sound? ‘I found the real painting, but it can’t go public! You can have it for a special price though~’” Madarame teased, changing the tone of his voice as he laughed. “Ahahaha! How’s that for preferential treatment!? Art snob’s eat it up and pay good cash for it too!”

“No!” the floor felt like it was caving beneath Yusuke’s feet, his head spinning too fast for him to keep up. He had to sink to the floor before he fell unwillingly.

Madarame continued, uncaring of his pupils' distress. “The value of art is purely illusion after all, what’s wrong with providing that illusion to eager customers? I doubt a brat like you could ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!”

“You keep goin’ on and on about money this, and money that,” Sneered the boy on Yusuke’s right, “No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!”

“You’re supposed to be an artist, right?! Aren’t you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work?!” Takamaki cried, and as hard as it was, Yusuke wanted to know his Sensei’s answer...

“Art is nothing but a tool!” Scoffed the old man before them. “A tool to gain money and fame!”

No...

No it can’t be!

“You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke.”

“God that pisses me off.” The other boy shook his head. “That’s your teacher...”

His Sensei...

His Sensei!

“But what about the people who believe in you?” Yusuke gasped, finding it hard to breathe. “The people who think you’re a master artist!?”

It was with a heavy sigh that Madarame spoke. “I will tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I’d advise you don’t rise up against me.”

What?

Madarame laughed, throwing his head back. “Do you honestly believe that anyone could find success with my objection holding them down?! Don’t be a fool! Ahahaha!”

“To think...I lived under the care of this wretched man...”

His sensei, the man who’d raised him... Had he ever been real to begin with?

“Did you actually think I took you in out of the goodness of my heart?” Madarame sneered at him, practically spitting at the ground. “Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allowed me to find promising pupils and take their ideas. After all, it’s much easier to steal the futures of children who can’t fight back!”

“N-no!” Yusuke gasped.

“Livestock are killed for their hides and meat! This is no different, you fool!”

Livestock....

Livestock...

A source of talent...to be used and discarded once he was done... 

That was all he was to him?

To his Sensei?

Was that all that Yusuke was?

...

No...

No, he wasn’t...

“But I’ve grown tired of this chat... Guards, I think it’s time to-”

“You are unforgivable...”

“Hmm?” Madarame hummed. “Speak up, boy I can’t hear you-”

“It doesn’t matter who you are... I won’t forgive you!”

“So, this is how you repay me? After years of keeping you around!? With INGRATITUDE?!” The yellow eyed man in golden robes before him sneered. “You damn brat! Guards! Kill them!”

“Kitagawa-kun, get back-” Takamaki tried to call but Yusuke shook his head. 

“I wanted to believe it wasn’t true... I had clouded my vision for so long...”

How had he allowed himself to-

“My eyes were truy blind. Blind and unable to see the true self behind this horrible man!”

‘Have you finally come to your senses?’

It was like a polar wind had rushed right down the naked skin of his spine while at the same time, a voice unlike anything he’d ever heard before echoed through his mind.

His hands flew to his head in shock, gripping tightly at his temple, trying to block out the sudden pulsing pain.

It was like the coldest blizzard in history was rampaging away with his very soul.

‘How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth. What a deplorable imitation indeed. Best you part from that aspect of yourself completely!’ boomed the voice from within and Yusuke cried out, dropping to his knees in pain. He was clawing at something. The floor, his hair, he didn’t care which, his fingers ached and he needed relief! 

‘Let us now forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I. This world is filled with both beauty and vice. It is time you teach people which is which!’

Teach people the beauty of this world...?

“Very well...” He agreed, finally finding a clarily through the agony.

Yes...

Teach the people about the real beauty of the world...

That was something he could do...

“Come!” He cried, grasping at the mask on his face and tearing it aside and calling upon the voice from within. 

“Goemon!”

\---------------------------

Ryuji had to give it to the guy. He could handle himself in a fight decently well for a first timer. Not to mention his ice attacks seemed to pair fairly well with Ryuji’s lightning based ones.

And he’d learned where he’d learned such ridiculous words like, Rue, as Madarame fled promising the teens they’d “rue” the day they crossed him. Sure whatever old man, just watch them steal your treasure first.

“Kitagawa-kun!” Ann cried, rushing to the other boys side, as he struggled to pick himself up off the floor.

“Why- can’t I- move?!” the boy in the fox masked gasped, trying to lift his legs with all his might.

“Your energy is drained. You just awoke to your Persona and fought a tough fight...I doubt you could move much even if you wanted to.”

“What a disgrace I am!” Cursed Yusuke, his blue gloves gripping tightly over his knee.

“Hey dude, come on...” Ryuji sighed, “Just listen to her. It’s natural, we all got this tired after our first times too...”

“Let us help you, Kitagawa-kun...” Ann offered him a hand and Ryuji reluctantly took the other one, so that Akiko wouldn’t have to.

It was with some effort that they shuffled into the waiting area just beyond the doors, depositing Yusuke on the closest available corner.

“You’ve known for a while...” Akiko offered, once the other teen was settled. “About Madarame. You knew, didn’t you?”

Yusuke shook his head, sighing deeply. “I’m no fool.”

Could have fooled Ryuji.

“Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was... an everyday affair for him...” Yusuke admitted, his voice stiff and unsteady. He sounded upset, but with himself or the situation, or both, Ryuji couldn’t tell. “But.. But who would want to admit that the man they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?!”

“Why didn’t you leave, Kitagawa-kun? Like Nakanohara or the others?” Ann asked, and Ryuji had to admit, he wondered that as well...

“W-well...” Yusuke mumbled, crossing his arms self consciously around his middle. “He’s the one who painted the ‘Sayuri’... and I owe him a great debt.”

“You mean cuz he raised you?” Ryuji pressed, ready to argue that just because someone raised you, it didn’t mean that you owed them shit, but Yusuke’s reply threw him for a loop instead.

“I... I never knew my father. I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three. It was shortly after that that Sensei took me in. I heard that he’d even helped my mother while she was still alive...”

“Heard?” Ann frowned.

“I... I was too young... Unfortunately, I no longer remember much of my Mother either.” Yusuke sighed. “I... I spent my years doing everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a Father but... but he changed.”

Ryuji watched as the artist clenched his fists once more, his shoulders tensing in anger. “To think that he would treat the ‘Sayuri’, the very foundation of his art, like that!”

Ryuji sighed, his shoulders feeling heavy. “A lots happened to you...huh?”

“When you... mentioned the plagiarism, I... I knew deep down that you were right. That’s why I so vehemently denied you. I... I was running from the truth. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Kitagawa-kun...” Akiko took a step forward, offering him a hand. “You have nothing to apologize for...”

“I...I must admit, I am grateful for the chance to face what I’ve been denying all this time. It is... cathartic.”

Ryuji gave a small snicker. “Shit, you speak all formal like. I bet that’s why you get stuck in your own head, you’re too busy lookin’ for the fancy words when the simple ones are right there.”

“Ryuji, you use made up words half the time, do not give advice on grammar.” Ann sighed.

“Well Yusuke, what do you plan to do now?” Morgana asked, jumping up onto the couch next to the fox masked boy.

“I...don’t know...”

“Listening Kitagawa.” Ryuji put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. The guy could be a bit of a creepy perv but.. He had it rough, so... “We can’t change the fact that Madarame has already changed and isn’t who you thought.... But we can change his heart, and make him pay for his crimes.”

“That the second time you’ve mentioned this...change of heart now.” Yusuke noted.

Ryuji bit back a grin. “Have you heard the rumors? Maybe seen the Phan-site? About the Phantom Thieves who steal people's hearts?”

Yusuke looked up at Ryuji, before he looked at Ann and Akiko, his eyes widening as the puzzle pieces fell into place. “Don't tell me-!”

Their conversation was cut off by the sudden appearance of more guards and with Morgana in the lead, they made a mad dash for the exit route, running from a fight they were in no shape to win.

\----

It was later, once they were back in the real world sitting in the plush comfort of the diner in Shibuya, were they able to talk without interruption and answer more of Yusuke’s questions and explain their own situation better.

“...Phantom Thieves who steal hearts... to think that they truly exist.” The boy sitting beside Ryuji mumbled, staring wide eyed down at his hands as he did his best to absorb the information they’d just dumped on it.

“We’re right here in front of you.” Akiko offered, her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee that she’d hardly touched. It seemed to Ryuji that she was using it more of a hand warmer than anything.

Yusuke nodded hesitantly, swallowing nervously. “I-indeed. I have to believe your words... after seeing a world like that... I’d be a fool not to.”

The artist took a deep breath before nodding a little to himself and raising his head to look Akiko in the eyes. “So, your plan with Madarame-sensei-... with Madarame, is to force a change of heart in him, correct?”

The three phantom thieves nodded, yeah that was pretty much it.

“Then...” Yusuke started, a conviction in his voice that hadn’t previously been there, “Let me join. I want to become a member of the Phantom Thieves as well.”

Wait what?!

For real!?

Ann and Akiko seemed just as shocked as Ryuji was, so Kitagawa continued to explain.

“Had I... Had I faced reality sooner, maybe this could have been avoided.” He shook his head, his gaze once again dropping to the table, his long spindly fingers twisting in thought. “I must put an end to this. For the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well. That... That’s the most civil thing I can do for the man who was... in some manner, my father.”

Ryuji... supposed that that made sense...

“Civil, huh?” Ann mused, offering Yusuke a small smile.

“Sounds good enough to me.” Ryuji shrugged, “We’re gonna deal with Madarame anyway right? Might as well have more help.”

Morgana poked his head out of Akiko’s school bag, which she’d placed on the table strategically so that the cat could hear the conversation better. 

“Kitagawa, you should be aware that he may have a mental shutdown if we screw up. We have ways to prevent that, but...they aren’t fail-safe. Remember? We mentioned it on the way here.”

“Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb.” Yusuke offered, instead of an answer, “He has connections to many organizations. If someone like me were to raise my voice... It would be snuffed out like so many before... No, I see no other option but this.”

Was that a yes? 

Ryuji couldn’t tell...

“It’s a deal then!” Morgana purred, and Ryuji figured that was good enough for him.

“We have a new member!” Ann smiled, clapping her hands together. “I hope we can all get along, Yusuke!”

Ryuji used his foot to push at Yusuke’s leg underneath the table to let him know that he was only teasing when he said, “You better not slow us down, alright?”

Yusuke looked over towards the boy and nodded seriously. “I will do my best.”

“And um...Kitagawa-kun? Please, no more modeling? I c-couldn’t... not like that...” Akiko mumbled, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

“Oh so that was...that was all a plan? That’s quite daring, Kurusu-chan...”

Ann slapped the table with the palm of her hand, drawing Yusuke’s attention over to her. “It wasn’t her idea! You didn’t give us a choice! It was the only way to get inside again!”

“Yeah, like what else were we supposed to do?” Ryuji defended on Akiko’s behalf, “If anything, it’s your fault for goin’ on and on about the nude modelin’ thing!”

“I-It wasn’t like that!” Yusuke protested, raising his hands defensively. “I simply wanted to express the beauty and passion in the Onryō myth-!”

“And stop comparing Aki-chan to a ghost! That’s so rude!” Ann snapped.

“-Though if I’m being completely honest, I had another idea involving the both of you.” Yusuke continued, unbothered by Ann’s outburst.

“The both of us?” Akiko tilted her head, glancing between herself and Ann.

“Me and Aki?” Ann asked, pointing a finger to herself, all anger previously gone.

“Yes, the two of you side by side, light and dark, day and night, joy and sadness!” Yusuke waxed and waned, “I’d love to do a painting with the two of you embracing each other, like yin and yang, intertwined but separate.”

Ryuji could kinda see his point but wait a second... 

“It would be a fully nude painting of course and-”

“That’s just a sixtynine!” Ryuji snapped, slamming a hand onto the table. He was onto this guys game now!

“No way in hell!” Ann shrieked, her face turning bright red.

Akiko was no different, hiding her face behind her hands completely. She was too embarrassed to even speak it seemed.

“B-But Takamaki-san! Kurusu-chan!” Yusuke gasped, for some reason completely shocked by their flat-out refusal.

“No!” Ann insisted.

Yusuke conceded for the moment, but Ryuji doubted this would be the last they heard of it.

“Hey so, I’ve been wonderin’!” Ryuji chimed in, ready to move the conversation away from paintings of his naked friends...

“What happened with Madarame?”

“Once Kurusu-chan exposed the real ‘Sayuri’, he called his private security company and Kurusu-chan ran. I saw her grab her bag from the bathroom and take off sprinting down the stairs and I followed behind her. I saw her darting around the corner and I was just about to catch up with her when we fell into that world...” Yusuke explained, but that wasn't what Ryuji meant.

“I meant what happens with him now?” Ryuji corrected. “What does he think happened?”

“Oh, actually, I was texting him on the walk here.” Yusuke pulled out his phone to go over the messages to make sure he got the details right. “He believes that I continued to pursue Kurusu-chan and lost sight of her once she made it into Shibuya. I gave him a false spelling of your name, so that if he does make a report, they shouldn’t be able to find you, Kurusu-chan.”

“T-Thank you, Kitagawa-kun.” Akiko mumbled, her face still flushed from the talk of the nude painting from before. “I...things would go very badly for me if I had got in trouble with law enforcement again, so thank you..”

“And yet, you are a Phantom Thief... How interesting.” Yusuke offered Akiko a small smile from across the table and Ryuji bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from visibly frowning.

“And were we right?” Morgana prompted, “Did he seem to know anything about what happened in the Palace?”

“No, it’s just as you said...” Yusuke sighed, “It appears he knows nothing about his...Shadow. Infact, his biggest complaint was that his private security company couldn’t even catch one high school girl in a robe. But he’s still completely furious, and is looking into taking legal action against all three of you.”

“Legal action?!” Ann gasped. “That sounds way too desperate... does he still have more to hide?”

“I doubt that he’d take such actions during his exhibition. Any scandal during his show would be a loss to his profits...”

“We’ll have to force a change of heart before then, if we want to dodge this ‘legal action’ stuff.” Morgana hummed, “Alright then! Our deadline is the same as the exhibits! June fifth!”

It was May nineteenth, so... seventeen days from now.

That worked for Ryuji, they’d already made plenty of progress!

“By the way, what is this?” Yusuke asked, pointing to Morgana with slightly wide eyes.

“Huh?” Ryuji looked between the two before he realized that the other teen wasn’t used to it yet. “He’s a cat.”

“I am not a cat!” Morgana hissed, swatting at Ryuji’s hand, claws extended. It was with pure athletic reflexes that Ryuji was just barely able to dodge getting sliced. The back of his hand remained claw mark free for today!

“But...It talks...”

“You gotta problem with me too, pal?!” The cat hissed, ready in to turn his ire on someone else in an instant.

“No... No not really.” Yusuke sighed, sounding a little tired of everything. Just accepting Mona for what he was way easier than Ryuji had.

“Why not?” Didn’t he find it weird? It’s not every day that a cat talked to you after all!

“...He’s on a different wavelength from most people I guess.” Ann shrugged when Yusuke didn’t offer an explanation.

The newest member of the Phantom Thieves was giving Morgana a critical eye, watching him closely.

“Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best in me, if that’s the case.” Morgana hummed happily, preening under the attention.

The artist ended up ordering some Black Bean Jelly, real original there, but the guy only realized that he didn’t bring his money with him until after he’d placed his order with the waitress.

Different wavelength from most people?

More like a different planet.

Oh well, he was a new ally, and that was enough for now.

\------

Coming back to school the next day felt like entering a different planet.

It was such a hard shift going from being a Phantom Thief to returning to average school life... Ryuji wanted to jump and run and scream and hoot and holler about their work as Phantom Thieves, but he couldn't and it was like a bottle of pop inside his chest, shaken beyond belief and ready to explode at any moment.

He felt like he was being held down by his desk when all he wanted to do was run back to Shibuya and take on that Palace and that goddamn old man again.

“Hey! Our grades are out!”

Ryuji looked up from his lunch, a sandwich he’d bought from the students store, as a group of students rushed past him, heading towards a small group of other students crowded around the bulletin board.

“Phew! I’m above average!” sighed a student in relief, finding their name about the middle line.

“Oh thank god I didn’t go down... My allowance is safe for now.” chimed a girl, turning and laughing with her friend.

Ryuji pushed his way into the crowd to get a better look at the list of grades for the second year class.

There he was, in the bottom ten. Shit. Not his best set of exams that was for sure. His mom was gonna chew him a new one when she found out.

His eyes scanned further up the list out of curiosity. There was Ann, just above the middle of the class, scoring fairly average across everything, but her high marks in english boosted her score in general.

He continued to scan the list, looking for Akiko’s name, but the higher he got, he was starting to think that maybe he’d missed her...

Ryuji started again from the bottom, thoroughly scanning every name, his finger following his eyes, tapping on his name, then Ann’s name and then...he scanned up and up and up and there!

His finger landed on Kurusu Akiko’s name, placed firmly in 6th place.

“W-What the hell!?”

How the hell did Aki score so high!?

Was she a freakin’ genius or something?!

Ryuji pushed his way out of the crowd that still surrounded the score board and took off running towards class 2-D.

Aki had to see this!

And explain why they didn’t study together beforehand?! The hell was that about?!

If she was so smart, he needed to spend more time studying with her for the sake of his grades, that was for sure!

When he got to Akiko’s classroom however, she wasn’t there. 

Ann however was. She was sitting at her desk eating her lunch and scrolling on her phone.

“Yo!” Ryuji approached her quickly.

“Ryuji!” Ann snapped, glaring at him, “This isn’t your classroom, you can’t be here!”

“Where’s Aki?” He asked, ignoring her anger for now. “Exam results are out, did you see her score?!”

Ann sighed and set her phone down. “Yeah... about that... Kawakami pulled her out of class a little while ago and I haven't seen her since. Apparently it’s about her exam scores.”

Huh?

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know anymore than that Ryuji.” Ann sighed, looking just as confused as Ryuji felt. “My guess? They probably think she cheated or something. Kawakami seemed...really cold when she pulled her out of class.”

“Cheated?”

“We’ll just have to wait to catch up with her after school. She didn’t bring her phone or Morgana with her, so she’ll have to come back eventually.” Ann explained and Ryuji sighed, leaning against an empty desk.

He guessed that was all they could do really...

\---------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha .... 15k long chapter is 15k long because I fucking promised that I would reach Exam Results this chapter.
> 
> Again, I apologize for any mistakes. I still do not have a beta reader 乁 ˘ o ˘ ㄏ


	17. Chapter 17: Kawakami, Makoto, Ann, Kawakami, Morgana.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking tests and breaking expectations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! ( ◜‿◝ )♡ 
> 
> I hope everyone is doing okay! I hope everyone is happy healthy and safe right now!

Chapter 17: Kawakami, Makoto, Ann, Kawakami, Morgana

\---------------

“After you, Kurusu-san.” Sadayo prompted, gesturing inside the room. Her student hesitated for a moment before she did as she was told and stepped into the student council's office. Sadayo sighed heavily and followed, closing the door behind her.

“Please take a seat.” She offered stiffly, trying her best to keep her voice neutral, but even Kawakami could hear the thinly veiled agitation in her tone.

The black haired girl slowly shuffled to the side of the desks that wasn't currently occupied by Niijima-san. The younger girl sat opposite her Senpai, and now that they were all settled, Sadayo began her explanation.

“Kurusu-san, as I’m sure you’re aware, you placed remarkably well on last week's exams. Well above average, infact.” Sixth place wasn't something they were just going to overlook after all.

The raven haired girl muttered something softly under her breath, that Kawakami was unable to catch.

“Speak up, Kurusu-san.” Sadayo snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. This girl was facing serious academic ramifications, and she had the nerve to talk back? Not to mention that Kawakami had her suspicions regarding her involvement with Kamoshida. Things had worked out way too well for her and Sakamoto...

That wasn't to say that Kawakami believed the rumors about her student seducing the former PE teacher were true, but still... Something was fishy here.

“I-I said in comparison...Ma’am.” Kurusu repeated, stuttering a little, her cheeks flushing under Sadayo’s glare, stumbling to explain herself before Kawakami could scold her once again. “I- What I mean is-... Sensei, This is the lowest I’ve placed since grade school.”

Kawakami was aware.

Infact, the truth of the matter was Kurusu-san would have placed even higher, had her math exam not been penalized so harshly for not showing her work. Usami-Sensei had actually approached her personally about that one, ranting and raving about how the girl must have used her phone or copied off the students around her. There was no way the student should be able to pull such complex answers out of nowhere if there was no written work to show how she got there, Usami-Sensei had insisted, but Sadayo wasn't so sure...

As her homeroom teacher, she had access to Kurusus’ report card records from her previous school, and her records from middle school and grade school as well, and had been seriously impressed. 

Kurusu Akiko had an interesting academic record for sure. She'd been an unremarkable student in elementary school, and had in fact, nearly failed her first systester of middle school, but had quickly begun improving her grades, steadily climbing higher and higher with every test.

By the time she'd reached her first year of Highschool, the girl was placing consistently in the top three of her class, if not first place itself, on every test put in front of her.

Kawakami had tried to bring that point to Principal Kobayakawa, but even she had to admit that he’d also raised several other fair points to explain.

Kurusu was from a very small town, and a very small school system, Kobayakawa argued. There was no way that their curriculum was as advanced as that of the prestigious Shujin Academy’s. The girl must have gotten nervous once she saw just how out of her depths she was and cheated. Or perhaps she'd been cheating from the start and the teachers of small town Nanbu hadn't been prepared to spot her tactics. How else would her grades start to climb so rapidly after all?

Of course then Sadayo had pointed out to the Principal, that every time she’d called upon the girl in class, she’d never gotten an answer wrong.

‘It’s like you’ve never heard of a cell phone, Kawakami-san! The smart ones have internet access after all.’ had been his reply. Ugh she wanted slap him across his fat dome, he could be so condescending sometimes

It was true that she had caught the girl on her phone more than once... but she wasn’t the worst offender by far! Minoto-san and Hakotu-san were far worse when it came to abusing their devices during class time, and they certainly didn’t receive grades like that...

It had been more of a pain to argue than it was worth, and Sadayo had eventually conceded that this was the best solution to the problem for everyone involved. If Kurusu-san wasn't cheating, and she was as smart as her grades implied, then one more test wouldn't be a problem for her and then Kawakami could get Kobayakawa off her back, and they could all go about their lives like normal again.

“The Principal has asked that, to diswage rumors of any wrong doing on your behalf, that you take a new test under strict supervision. Niijima-san?” Kawamaki turned her attention to the student council president, who was sitting prim and proper, not hair out of place. A stark contrast to her younger across the desk, messy out of control hair, curling in on herself nervously, shoulders hunched in an effort to make herself appear smaller.

Makoto took her que from Kawakami and the third year girl slid the small stapled together packet of papers across the desk, along with a brand new black pen, fresh from the pack.

Kawakami herself had been asked to put together the test overnight and she'd stayed up far later than she'd intended, copying and pasting questions from old quizzes and exams from previous years, to make a test that she felt was a fair representation of the material, but still not the exact same questions as on the previous tests.

“I have to return to class, but Niijima-san will be here to watch you to make sure you don't cheat." She sighed deeply, feeling the headache forming already. "Geez what a pain..."

Sadayo would have to stay late today marking the damn thing so she could get Principal Kobayakawa off her back. She'd need to sneak off to call her part time job and let them know she'd be unavailable tonight... And she’d have to take some time to rearrange the money in her savings account to compensate for the lost hours.

Actually, if she left now... She might be able to do that now, before she went back to class...

"Excuse me, I'll take my leave for now." She sighed rubbing at her temples, her pulse beating heavily beneath her fingertips. "I'll return in two hours, if you happen to finish before then, then please return to class. Niijima-san can place your test on my desk, if needed. Good luck Kurusu-san. Niijima-san? I leave you to it."

"You can leave it to me, Kawakami-Sensei." The girl smiled and with that, Sadayo snuck off towards the roof, mentally prepared herself to call her other boss. That guy wasn’t any better than Kobayakawa, constantly reminding her that she was no spring chicken, so she better take every job she could get her old hands on.

She could already feel the lecture brewing.

\-------------------------

Makoto took a moment to adjust herself in her seat, uncrossing her legs and running her hands down the sides of her hips, as to make sure her skirt stayed in place, before she turned her attention to the student before her. Kurusu Akiko sat still, her expression blank as she stared at the test before her, still turned over and untouched. She hunched in her seat, and for a moment, Makoto was reminded of a gargoyle, perched on a gothic chuchtop.

“I’ll start the time. You can begin now.” She informed the other girl, before touching the screen of her phone, she began the two hour countdown and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

The girl before her slowly reached forward and turned over the stack of papers, taking the pen in hand. Was she nervous? Petrified, even? Scared stiff at the prospect of being caught?

Makoto had to bite her lip to hold back a smirk. She knew something had been off about the girls exam results. Makoto had placed first last year herself, top of her class, because anything less wouldn’t be tolerated. She knew that those tests had been no walk in the park, however, and there was no just way that this... this criminal with a record, could achieve such outstanding results. Makoto didn’t know what sort of exams Kurusu's previous schools had been giving her, but there was no way they were as intense as Shujin Academies. It was just impossible that some backwater town on the other side of the island would have as advanced a curriculum as their highly prestigious school in the heart of Tokyo. 

Makoto watched with critical eyes as Kurusu wrote her name and the date at the top of the page in the respective slots for them. She then hovered her pen over the first question as she read it, her glasses obscuring Makoto’s view of her eyes, but the student council president could see Kurusu’s lips moving as she mouthed the question silently to herself in deep thought.

It didn’t take her too long to begin to write her answer down, the quiet scritching of pen against paper filling the small club room.

Makoto would get to the bottom of this. As student council president, she had a responsibility to uphold the honor and reputation of the school, thought if she was being honest with herself, it went beyond that... She didn’t know what it was, but she had a gut feeling about it that she just couldn’t let go.

Something about Kurusu Akiko bothered her, and she was going to get to the bottom of it, mark her words.

\---

It was an hour and fifteen minutes later, according to the timer, that Kurusu was answering the final question and reviewing her answers and Makoto had to say, it was clear there had been no cheating that she’d been able to see. The younger girl had simply done the test as normal, not even lifting her eyes from the page to check the time, let alone to cheat.

But how? Kurusu had flown through that test like it was nothing. She never lingered on a question too long, and had answered every question with detail and confidence, never once asking for white out, or even scribbling out an answer. Her hand had practically danced across the page, never breaking stride. It was just...impossible...

“I’m finished. May I return to class, Niijima-Senpai?” Kurusu asked, breaking her from her stupor. The tone was polite, but short. It was cold, Makoto noted about the other girls' way of speech, like a blizzard.

“I...yes, I suppose so.” She nodded, recalling Kawakami-sensei's instructions from before. She'd have to head down to the faculty room before heading back to class herself...

The second year girl across from her stood up and gave Makoto a polite bow at the waist before she turned and made her way to the door.

Out of curiosity, Makoto quickly slid the test back across the table, and turned it so she could take a peek herself. For a Criminal.... Makoto noticed that she had remarkably neat and clean handwriting.

“Niijima-Senpai?” Kurusu asked, lingering by the door, glancing over her shoulder back at Makoto. “May I speak freely?”

“I- yes?” Makoto stuttered, flushing a little at being caught snooping at the other girls test. She slapped the stack of paper back flat onto the table, spreading it flat out as if she’d never picked it up to begin with.

Speak freely? What could she-?

“If I were to cheat, I would have helped my friends place higher.”

And after that firm statement, Kurusu opened the door and let herself out into the hallway, closing it behind her firmly, leaving her Senpai alone in the classroom with her exam and the other girls thoughts.

\---------------

It was maybe twenty minutes after lunch and Ann was really really starting to worry about Akiko. She’d been gone for so long now...

Not to mention Morgana had hidden himself in her bag because without the girl to hide behind, it was fairly obvious that he was sleeping in the desk. The poor little guy... Ann really hoped it wasn’t getting too stuffy in there for him.

“-Oh, Kurusu-san, you finished with...what I asked you to do, already?” Kawakami broke off from her lecture, and Ann quickly whipped around her in her seat.

Akiko was back!

The raven haired girl stood nervously at the back of the classroom, caught walking from the door to her desk. She was frozen mid step, her eyes wide like she'd been caught red handed doing something wrong, before she quickly recovered and offered Kawakami a quick, short bow.

“I-...yes ma’am. I left it with Niijima-Senpai...” She explained softly, fidgeting her fingers together and recovering from her bow slowly.

“Very well. Take your seat.” Kawakami-Sensei sighed, before turning back to the board behind her. “So, as I was saying, Historically, attempts to limit the number of kanji in use commenced in the mid nineteenth century, but it didn’t actually become a matter that the Government cared about until after World War two-”

Every fiber in Ann wanted to turn around in her chair and ask her friend about what it was that Kawakami had made her do that had taken so long, but she didn’t want to get in trouble so Ann settled with bouncing her leg nervously. 

She’d have to talk to her after class. She glanced up at the clock and nearly groaned aloud when she saw exactly how much time was left until then.

Uuuuugh! Ann didn’t want to wait that long! She nearly collapsed herself across the desk like a child having a tantrum, but Ann restrained herself. She’d just have to be mature and wait.

\---

“Aki-chan!”

The second that the bell rang, dismissing class for the day, Ann whipped around in her seat, practically climbing into her hair so she could face Akiko directly.

“Talk to me! What happened? Are you okay? Are you in trouble? What happened? Tell me everything!!”

“A-Ann-chan, I’m okay-” Akiko’s protest was cut off by a loud squelching grumble. She flushed bright red and wrapped her arms around her stomach, curling in on herself. “S-sorry...I didn’t get to eat lunch today...”

That was no good! Ann quickly jumped out of her chair and offered a hand to Akiko, along with a bright, hopefully inviting smile. “Come on! We’ll see if there’s anything left in the student store. If not, I’ll buy you snacks from the vending machine.”

“A-Ann-chan...” Akiko hesitated, blinking up at Ann with her large grey eyes, looking like she was about to deny her offer, but Ann wasn’t going to have it.

“Come on, Aki-chan! I’m hungry too, I was so worried about you that I just picked at my food all lunch, and then Ryuji came and ate the rest of it!” Ann insisted, jumping in place a little. “Let’s get food together and talk on the way back, okay?”

“O-....okay.” Akiko slowly unwrapped her arms from around her middle and took Ann’s hand in her own, using the leverage to lift herself up to her feet. She went to take it back, but Ann squeezed it tightly and held it close to her side. When Akiko gave her a slightly shocked look, Ann just winked and stuck out her tongue playfully. Too bad, Aki-chan! It was Ann’s hand now~! Just for the walk to the store at least, Akiko could have it back once they got food.

“Don’t forget me!” Morgana insisted, slipping from the desk back into the school bag, not wanting to be left behind. Akiko quickly scooped up the straps and the three were on their way out the door.

They didn't get very far into the hallway before they were ambushed by Ryuji, who’d been waiting by the staircase. As soon as he spotted the two girls he came jogging over to them and took up stride on Akiko’s other side.

“Yo!” He greeted happily, slinging an arm over her shoulder, falling into step with them, happy to follow along. “Sup? I heard Kawakami pulled you from class? ‘Hell’s up with that?”

“I placed in sixth place in the exams. They thought I was cheating, so they made me do another test alone in a room with Niijima-senpai watching.” Akiko offered simply, her tone dull and placid, like she’d been asked about the time, or the state of the weather.

“What?!” Ann gasped, squeezing Akiko’s hand tightly, pulling her arm closer to her side, as they made their way down the stairs towards the first floor.. “That’s not fair! They didn’t give you any time to study for it!”

“That’s bullshit!” Ryuji agreed. “This whole damn school is so rotten!”

“G-Guys it’s okay, the test wasn’t very hard.” Akiko offered, trying to calm her friends down. She seemed flushed. Did she have a fever? Ann hoped that she was okay... they should get some food in her so the other girl didn’t get light headed...

“What kinda test was it? Just like a math exam or what?” Ryuji asked, lowering his voice a little, noticing Akiko’s discomfort as well it seemed. There were more students out and about on the first floor of the school, several different friend groups hanging out in the halls as they walked through the halls of the classroom building, towards the rec building.

“No...” Akiko mumbled, ducking her head down, “It was like a review package. There was a section for each subject, maybe ten to fifteen questions in each? It-it wasn’t that bad, honest.”

“You were gone for like two hours Aki-chan...” Ann protested softly. The other girl might be trying to downplay it, but that sounded like a decently hard exam in Ann’s eyes. Honestly, it sounded awful to Ann, she’d hate to have to do such an extensive test with no prior warning or preparedness. Not to mention it was solely because she was being accused of cheating... There was no way Akiko would cheat on her exams! Ann knew they weren’t the closest of friends, they still had a lot of bonding to do, but she knew enough to know that Akiko was brilliant and didn’t need to cheat!

“I would have finished sooner, but the instructions at the top said to explicitly show all my work, so I had to write down more than I usually would.” Akiko explained, and Ann was once again taken aback. Did Akiko not write down her work? How else did she keep track of her train of thought then? Ann was always getting her numbers and names mixed up, even when she had them written in front of her, she couldn’t imagine trying to keep them together in her head alone!

“Honestly, I thought I was going to get in trouble for doing poorly.” Akiko continued, and both Ann and Ryuji’s jaws dropped a little. Poorly? Poorly?! How on earth would Akiko think sixth place was placing poorly?! 

“At my old school,” Oblivious to the shocked looks of her friends, Akiko continued. Ann noted in the back of her mind that this was the probably the most that she’d heard the other girl speak at one time. “I consistently placed within the top three. I... I will admit it was something I sort of prided myself on...”

“Kurusu-san!” A voice called out, cutting off Ann and Ryuji before they could respond to that bombshell of a reveal. Their new friend was that smart?! Why hadn’t either of them studied with her prior to the exams?!

They turned to find the source of the voice and at the end of the hall, standing just outside the nurses office, was Doctor Maruki, dressed in his usual lab coat and sandals. He was smiling and waving at the group of friends.

“Kurusu-san, I was just about to message you.” He explained, making his way closer to the group, as to not shout across the school at the students. “I was hoping I might be able to borrow some of your time after school today. It’s about that research project I mentioned during our previous encounter.”

Research project? Doctor Maruki wanted Akiko’s help with some kind of project? Ann looked to Akiko who was glancing between herself and Ryuji nervously, like she was torn between accepting the Doctors off, or spending more time with her friends. She looked conflicted, so Ann gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “It’s alright Aki-chan, we can catch up later if you want?”

It wasn’t like they wouldn’t have more time to spend with Akiko tomorrow. Besides, it wasn’t like their friend had the best...reputation with the school board, so if she could assist and gain the trust of a faculty member, then that could only be a good thing right? And the guy had snacks in his office, so Akiko would at least have something to munch on, seeing as they hadn’t made it to the student store just yet.

“Yeah, for real AkiAki, we’ll talk in the group chat tonight or something.” Ryuji offered, but to Ann it just seemed like he was more eager to get away from Doctor Maruki. Probably before he changed his mind and asked to speak to him instead, Ann realized.

Their friend slipped out from between the two of them, letting go of Ann’s hand and letting Ryuji’s arm slid off her shoulder, Akiko made her way down the hall, glancing over her shoulder at her friends to make sure they were really okay with her going. Ann offered a smile and wave, and Ryuji gave her a thumbs up.

The two held their positions until Akiko was inside the nurses’ office and only once the Doctor closed the doors behind them did Ann and Ryuji turn to each other bug eyed and whisper yelled at one another ‘TOP THREE?!’ 

That was impressive, holy hell! Ann could hardly believe it, but then again, the other girl never got an answer wrong in class when the teachers called...

Just how smart was Akiko?

\--------------------------

Kawakami Sadayo triple checked, and quadruple checked, but no matter how many times she looked at it, the answer remained the same.

Kurusu Akiko had answered every single question perfectly. There wasn’t a single mistake in her entire test. Every answer was correct, all the steps she took to get there were laid out neatly, in some of the cleanest printing that Sadayo had seen out of teenagers. It was simply remarkable.

With a heavy sigh, Kawakami leaned forward and thunked her head on her head, sinking her weight into her seat and stretching out the column of her spine, and the stiffness in her shoulder and she pushed herself flatter and flatter across her desk.

While it was certainly the best outcome, it wasn’t the easiest one, that was for sure. Now Kawakami would have to take the results to Kobayakawa and the cynical part of her could already hear him starting up about favoritism and getting another teacher to mark it instead of her, or maybe having a different student rewrite a whole other test for her too.

Geez why did all this have to happen to her? What had Sadayo ever done to deserve this? She knew she’d failed as a teacher before, but she was already doing everything she could to make amends, she didn’t need karmic justice to strike her down any further.

It was with a heavy groaned and far more effort that it should have taken, but eventually Kawakami raised herself from her desk and reached for the small plastic phone that sat in the corner of it.

May as well call the office and see if Kobayakawa was still in or not. Just get the whole thing over with sooner than later. Like ripping a bandaid off, right?

Ughh, she hated this. Sadayo rubbed at her eyes with her hands. The migraine from earlier was coming back with a vengeance as the ringing tone grew more and more shrill in her ear the longer she had to listen to it. Thankfully, or not, depending on how she looked at it, Kawakami didn’t have to listen for too long, as eventually, her boss picked up.

“Ah- hello? Principal Kobayakawa? It’s Kawakami. About that additional test we had Kurusu-san take...”

\-------------------------

The time that Akiko had spent with Maruki had taken longer than Morgana had expected, but if he remembered, that had happened last time too... He’d had to try and find a way to sneak out of her backpack before the next time the Doctor called her in for a chat. Not only did he feel like he was intruding, weren’t counseling sessions supposed to be private? But he also just had better things to do, like explore the city, or keep an ear out for gossip.

He could be out finding potential Mementos targets, not pretending to sleep inside a school bag!

Thankfully, the meeting with the Doctor was over soon enough, and Morgana felt his world being shifted as Akiko lifted the bag and slipped it over her shoulder. Morgana shifted his weight to compensate, and he hoped that it didn’t shift too much on the outside. Hopefully that wasn’t super obvious to Maruki...

“Oh! Don’t forget to take a treat before you go!” There was a crinkle of plastic wrapping and the two quickly said goodbye after that. Akiko shuffled the bag a little and soon, Morgana had yet another thing in his dark, cluttered, fabric covered world to keep him company. He guessed by the shape of the package, and by the writing that his feline eyes could pick up in the low levels of light, it was probably a novelty donut of some kind.

He wondered if he might be able to eat it, but something told him that that dark colour of the donut itself was chocolate and he didn't want to make that mistake again. Morgana had felt so incredibly sick after the last time he'd tried to indulge in chocolate, and he added yet another flaw of his current body to his mental list. Yet another reason to explore Mementos as quickly as possible to try and find his true body, he vowed.

"Yo! Aki!" Morgana recognized that voice. It was Ryuji. He must have been waiting for them to leave the nurse's office. Had he really waited that long though? They'd been in there for at least an hour, maybe even more.

"Ryuji?" Akiko sounded just as surprised as Morgana was. He could feel her adjust her grip on the bag once again, pulling him further up her shoulder, pressing him closer to her body.

"Sup? You all finished with the Doc?" Ugh, could the rambunctious boy use any more informal speech? He sounded so uneducated...

"MmHmm." Akiko hummed an affirmative answer, and even though he couldn't see it, Morgana was fairly certain she was nodding too.

"Awesome! So listen, I was gonna head home for the night, but I totally remember about this Gym in Shibuya where we can work out! You know, cuz we can't use the running spot no more?" Ryuji sounded really excited, even when recounting their less than ideal situation regarding their running area being commandeered by the remaining members of the track team. "Did you wanna come with me now? I was thinking we could burn off some steam or whatever."

"Ah- sorry, Ryuji..." Akiko denied, her voice sounding soft and apologetic, "I...can we do it tomorrow? I'm kind of tired from the test today, and I didn't really get to eat much, so I was hoping to head back to the cafe for some curry and-"

"Woah! Woah, chill!" Ryuji laughed, easily cutting off Akiko's nervous rambling with just a few simple words. It was something that Morgana noticed about his roommate that he couldn't necessarily say he approved of. Whenever it came to that bleach blonde moron, she was shockingly honest, having openly expressed more emotion around Ryuji than either Ann or Sojiro combined, and the only reason Morgana saw just as much as Ryuji, if not more, it was because he was practically attached at their leader's hip at all times.

Morgana didn't like it, if he was going to be very very honest. Sakamoto Ryuji was a decent enough person, Morgana could concede. He was determined and loyal, two very valuable qualities, but he was also brash, hot-headed, and quite frankly, a moron. It had been a few weeks, and not once had Morgana heard the boy offer any sort of apology to Akiko for saying what he'd said about her to Niijima.

'You think I can't do better than some nerdy girl with hair like that?' were Ryuji's words, the anger and disdain emanating from his voice at the implications that he and Akiko might be more than friends.

No. No, Morgana didn't think that Ryuji could do better than Akiko. Infact, he was fairly certain that Akiko was far too good the foolish ape! Morgana knew his host's situation wasn't an easy one; that she wasn't able to date even if she wanted to. And sure, he'd admit that such a vehement denial would get the student council president off their backs, in theory, it still didn't remove the fact that it still obviously affected the girl in question. 

Morgana remembered her whispered words, late the night that Sojiro had given her hair ties for the first time. That hair ties were for pretty girls. Morgana had still yet to see her use them, unless she had to keep her hair out her face in the cafe.

She was owed an apology at least. Ooh it ground Morgana's gears. He didn't even have a human body and he was still more charming than that foolish chimp. He'd use that charm to woo Lady Ann, of course, but he still knew not to be rude to any woman!

"If you're too tired, you're too tired! That's all you had to say!" Ryuji said easily, and Morgana could hear the smile in his voice. At least the blond had enough sense to not push the situation, he'd get that credit at least.

"Besides!" Morgana chimed in, tugging the zipper down so that he could pop up over her shoulder and add his two yen to the situation, "I didn't get to eat lunch either, so I'm starving! Let's go back to LeBlanc already, okay?" He looked up to Akiko, pleading with her to get a move on.

The girl blinked her large cool grey eyes at him, shocked by his sudden interference, but she quickly caught on it seemed, as she nodded a little at him and turned her attention back to Ryuji.

"We can go tomorrow after school?" She offered, which Ryuji easily accepted, smiling simply at his friend.

"Sure! Gives you time to pick up some protein powder!" The blond laughed, reaching out to give her a small slap on the upper arm, making the smaller of the two teens sway slightly. "Gotta put some muscle on those bones, ya know? Oh-! And super important!"

Ryuji's face sobered as he remembered a supposedly critically vital information he needed to pass to Akiko before the two went to the gym. Morgana wondered what it was? Water? Vitamin water? Snacks for afterwards? A special muscle cream to help ease the pain after? It must be critical, Morgana leaned forward to hear as well. He didn't have a human body himself, but it could be useful for the future once he got his real form back...

"Bring a change of underwear! There's literally nothing worse than getting out of a shower and getting into gross sweaty undies, seriously, trust me on this." 

Morgana nearly fell off Akiko's shoulder in shock. What a moron! He sounded so utterly convinced he was passing along some life changing secret, and it spoke to his level of intellectual mastery. What a complete moron! Even children knew better than to put on soiled clothes after a shower!

"R-right..." Akiko muttered, just as impressed with Ryuji's wisdom as Morgana was it seemed, though Ryuj was oblivious to the dry tone in her voice.

"Alright then! It's a plan! Tomorrow, after school, you, me and the gym!" Ryuji beamed, happy to have made a commitment for the future.

"MmHmm." Akiko confirmed, nodding in agreement.

"Can we go now?" Morgana pressed, whining in Akiko's ear so hopefully she'd get a move on. He was hungry, darn it! He'd even take that cold squishy excuse of meat called Cat food at this point, anything as long as it was in his belly.

" 'Kay." Akiko confirmed, offering Ryuji a small bowl before she went to walk on. "Have a good night Ryuji, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you in the morning, Bye Ryuji!" Morgana offered quickly, rushing the words out fast. He wanted to gooooo already. 

"Haha, 'kay, see you guys tomorrow." Ryuji laughed and thankfully, with goodbyes out of the way, Akiko finally got a move on. 

It didn't take them too long to leave the school grounds, only stopping briefly for the girl to change her school shoes for her street shoes at her locker, and then the two were finally off. 

The trip to the train was uneventful, and thankfully, it was late enough that they'd missed rush hour. Akiko was able to grab a seat and read from a book she had tucked away into her bag in case just a scenario occurred. She made a decent chunk of progress reading before they reached their stop.

The gentle jingle of the bells above the door and the strong smell of curry and coffee, muffled through the canvas of the bag were Morgana's que to their arrival home, finally!

"I got a call from your school today."

The joy of being home was quickly over-washed by anxiety and dread. Oh no. The school had called Sojiro? What had they said? When had they called? Morgana wasn't even the one in trouble but his gut twisted and his blood ran cold through his veins as he sat stock still in the bag.

Morgana might be hearing things, or possibly projecting, but he was almost positive he could hear Akiko swallow thickly. He couldn't blame her, honestly.

"Sixth place!" Sojiro laughed, his tone quickly shifting from stern to jovial and Morgana could practically hear the smile on his face. "Whodda thunk it?! Congrats kid!"

"Th-thanks..." Akiko mumbled, not nearly sounding as enthusiastic as her caretaker was. From what Morgana was able to discern from her conversation with the others, she was probably still a little sore about not doing as well as usual. It was silly in his opinion, to be in the top ten was still a very respectable place. Plus, she was still new to the school! She was okay to not do as good on this one, she had had a pretty stressful first month at school after all.

"Here, catch." There was a small metal jingle, and Morgana felt his world shift as Akiko moved to catch whatever was being tossed her way. "I made that the other day as a good luck charm, but it looks like you don't need it after all!"

"You... You made me a good luck charm?" Akiko stuttered, disbelief dripping from her words. She sounded so utterly shocked that someone would do her the courtesy...

"Heh." Sojrio scoffed, and Morgana could picture the older man, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Don't think too deep into, kid." He grumbled, and the not-cat snickered to himself. He bet Boss was blushing.

"Anyway! you hungry? Got a plate of curry for ya, if you want it." The Cafe Owner quickly changed the topic and Akiko seemed to also be willing to let it go for now, as she accepted and soon, Morgana was being set down on the stool seat next to Akiko, and he quickly freed himself.

"Hey! Me too! I want dinner too!" He reminded, pawing at Akiko's arm.

Sojiro looked over his shoulder as he pulled the plate of curry out of the microwave for his ward. "That cat sure is a chatty one. Bet he wants dinner too, hungry little thing..."

"Bingo!" Morgana cheered, happy that Boss was so perceptive. He knew that the Chief would only hear meows, but it was worth a shot...

"He says 'Yes Sakura-san, I'm so very hungry, please feed me, oh kind one'." Akiko offered gently, more mumbling to herself, to which Morgana whipped around gave her an indignant 'I did NOT!'

Sojiro just threw his head back and laughed, as he turned around from the small cafe kitchen and walked over to the bar, setting down a plate of curry for Akiko, and a small dish of sliced fish for Morgana. "Hahaha! So you're a genius and a cat whisperer! Hahaha any other secrets you're keeping from me?"

Fish! It was delicious fresh fish! Morgana practically purred as he jumped up onto the bar to eat comfortably. Oooh it was so tasty! Fresh and meaty and uhh so yummy~!

"Hey cat-! No, no forget it. We're closed for the day, so it's fine..." Sojiro started to protest before he gave up and sighed heavily, shrugging in defeat. "Just make sure you clean the counter up once he's done I guess..."

"Yes Boss." Akiko mumbled, but Morgana could see the soft smile on her face. She seemed peaceful. Content? Was that the word? She seemed happy, regardless.

Sojiro cleared his throat and changed the topic. "Did you want some coffee with that?"

"Yes please, thank you very much." Akiko replied, struggling to hold back a bigger smile, ducking her head down to keep her joy to herself, but Morgana could see it. 

"I-I really like your coffee Boss." She offered quietly, but Morgana had to suspect it had to do with more than just coffee. He hadn't been able to find the opportunity to talk to Akiko about her life back in Nanbu, though if he was being very very honest with himself... Morgana wasn't sure if he wanted to know... Something in his gut didn't sit right about a few things.

Her comment to Ryuji about how Sojiro might raise his voice, but he never hit her, and gave her her own room...

The way that she still refused to wear those hair ties that Boss had given her unless she was working in the cafe and had to put her hair up, by order of Sojiro himself.

There was also the fact that... More often than not, Morgana fell asleep before his teenage roommate, and would almost always wake up after she did, the girl almost always either studying, crafting infiltration tools for their next trip into the palace, or cleaning LeBlanc for Boss's approval. Just how much sleep was Akiko getting? His views on sleep might be skewed slightly, his cat-like body required more rest than a human's would, but he was certain that Akiko wasn't getting as much sleep as she should...

"Hehe." The Cafe Owner laughed, his cheeks turning a little ruddy. "Don't go flatterin' me kid, you're already gettin' free coffee."

"Thank you very much." She offered again, her voice small and quiet, but happy.

"Sheesh..." Sojiro sighed, shaking his head a little and he pulled a mug for her, setting the kettle to boil. "Sixth place in your school exams, and you're always so polite... Gonna make me wanna take in more criminals if you all act like this."

Akiko ducked her head down, hiding behind her bangs as she avoided a response, taking a small mouthful of curry instead. Her spoon clinked again the plate as she went in for another one.

"I'm kidding of course." Sojiro reminded, his tone losing its jovial tone. "No funny business under my roof."

"I would never, I promise."

"...I think I believe you, kid. Don't make me regret that."

As Morgana licked the plate clean, he happily flopped onto his side and began to clean his paws. That was such a tasty meal~! The Chief was quickly becoming one of his favorite people.

If only the Cafe Owner could understand him...

\---------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Rolling Girl! A Trip to the Museum.
> 
> My husband always says that he hated when Authors apologize for the length between chapters, for multiple reasons, one, what about the people who find the fic later? They legit don't care, they don't have to wait. And for the people who do have to wait, they're just happy that the fic updated!
> 
> That being said, I do apologize that this took me longer than I anticipated to get out.  
> (´ . .̫ . `) As I suspected, the majority of my energy is being consumed by work, I have a scoliosis and my job is standing all day, so this did take me a while to get out and I'm sorry. 
> 
> I also feel kinda bad about post a 6k chapter after posting a 15k chapter, but the 15k isn't the new standard and I can't hold myself to those standards, that would kill me.


	18. Chapter 18: Ryuji, Yusuke, Takemi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Infiltrations and smack downs.
> 
> And some medical history without context.

Chapter 18: Ryuji, Yusuke, Takemi.

\---------

Class had let out over fifteen minutes ago and instead of meeting up with Akiko and heading down to the gym, like the two had planned to, Ryuji was instead pulled by his teacher into the faculty office and was then forced to listen to the most boring lecture on the face of the planet. He knew he’d placed badly in the exams, he was the one who’d taken them after all. He didn’t need his homeroom teacher barking at him to get it through his skull.

What an ‘effin' waste of time... For real, he should be hanging with his friend, on the way to Protein Lover's right now. Not stuck here pretending to care about what Hiruta-sensei had to say.

“-Honestly Sakamoto, if you don’t get your act together soon, your future isn’t going to be an easy one.” The snotty biology teacher sneered down his nose at Ryuji and it took everything in the teens power not to roll his eyes in response.

“Uhuh, got it.” He sighed, shifting his weight impatiently from foot to foot, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked past his teachers head and towards the clock on the wall. He wanted to gooooo, dammnit! Like Ryuji wanted to be like Hiruta? Broke, Middle aged and teaching biology to a bunch of brats everyday? Everyone knew the guy didn’t have a wife either! No thank you.

“I don’t think you quite realize just how important-!” Hiruta-sensei started up again, his face turning red in frustration, and Ryuji nearly collapsed in on himself in dread. 

No more, have mercy, please!

\---

By the time Ryuji was finally let go, it was half an hour after class let out, and his phone had several messages waiting for his attention. He opened up the group chat, and quickly scanned through the new messages that he’d missed during his lecture.

 **Ann:** Hey, so what are we gonna do about that Museum?

 **Ann:** I don’t have any plans with Shiho today, what’s everyone else’s plan?

 **Ann:** It wouldn’t hurt to find the Treasure sooner rather than later, right?

 **Yusuke:** After taking the day off school yesterday, I am feeling much more energized than before. I’m available if that’s the plan for today.

Yusuke had been added to the group chat the previous night by Akiko, who had his number from before. Speaking of Akiko, she was next in the chain to reply.

 **Akiko:** Did the two of you want to meet up at the hideout and head into the Palace today?

 **Akiko:** Ryuji and I had talked about going to the Gym today, but I can’t find him...

 **Ann:** He’s probably getting in trouble or something. Have you called him?

 **Akiko:** I sent him a message, but he hasn’t opened it yet.

 **Ann:** Yeah, 100yen, he’s in trouble with a teacher.

 **Yusuke:** Is this a common occurrence?

 **Ann:** Honestly, not anymore.

 **Ann:** He’s been doing really well, staying out of trouble this year, which is saying something considering last year.

 **Yusuke:** Oh?

 **Ann:** Sorry, I probably shouldn’t talk about it. Ryuji’s history is his own to tell, not mine to gossip.

Okay...so that was actually really nice of Ann. Ryuji appreciated it, more than he thought he would. It wasn't like he was ashamed or anything, it just sucked being talked about behind your back. Yusuke could totally know everything about Ryuji, the blonde boy didn't care, but he wanted to at least have a say in it, that's all.

 **Yusuke:** That’s very mature of you, Takamaki-san.

 **Ann:** Please, call me Ann. We’re all teammates now right? I feel like that should be enough for first names!

 **Yusuke:** Thank you, Ann-san, for welcoming me into your group so easily.

 **Yusuke:** I must admit, I am still new to having colleagues so close to my age. I apologize in advance if I ever happen to offend.

 **Ann:** Just don’t ask for Nude Paintings and we’re all good!

 **Akiko:** Agreed.

 **Yusuke:** I begrudgingly accept. I will put my artist muse aside for the sake of comradery. 

**Yusuke:** Though I do hope that one day, we might be able to discuss it more?

Ryuji noted that it seemed that both Akiko and Ann had decided to leave Yusuke on read after that message, it had been about ten minutes since he’d sent that one, so Ryuji decided to insert himself, letting them know he was both alive, and now engaged in the conversation

 **Ryuji:** Give it up, you perv!

The replies were instant, the box indicating several people were typing at once.

 **Ann:** Ryuji! I was just about to call you! You weren't answering mine or Akiko’s messages!

 **Akiko:** Hey, are you okay?

 **Yusuke:** Hello, were you in trouble with a teacher? Ann made a bet.

 **Ann:** I didn’t really make a bet! It was a figure of speech!

Might as well be honest with 'em, Ryuji thought before replying quickly, having to retype a few words, his fingers stumbling occasionally.

 **Ryuji:** Just effin’ Hiruta-sensei chewin’ my ear off about my exam results.

 **Ann:** Called it.

 **Ryuji:** You just said you didn’t make a bet!

He knew Ann was just teasing him, so he wasn't really angry, just playing it up for show, more than anything.

 **Akiko:** Ann and Yusuke were thinking it might be a good idea to go to the Palace today. What did you think? I know we talked about going to the gym today...

It didn’t take Ryuji long to make up his mind. Honestly, he was surprised that he wasn’t the one who’d suggested it really. He’d just gotten so excited about the idea of finding the gym that he almost forgot about their looming timeline.

 **Ryuji:** We can go to the gym any time, it’s not like we gotta deadline to run on treadmills or do sit ups.

 **Ryuji:** We only got 15 days left in the exhibit right?

 **Ryuji:** Where were you guys? I’ll meet you there.

 **Ann:** Yusuke and I are already at the new hangout. I happened to be in the underground mall, and Yusuke was getting off the train. We bumped into each other on the way up.

 **Yusuke:** Ann’s been trying to explain more about the Metaverse and Mementos and the Nav.

 **Yusuke:** I think I understand? I’m more of a tactile learner, so once we start, I’m sure I will pick it up along the way.

“Hey, you ready?”

Ryuji nearly dropped his phone, stumbling over his own two feet in a panic as Akiko’s voice drew him out his phone and back into reality. He’d been walking and texting at the same time and hadn’t anticipated anyone would address him, let alone Akiko herself. 

“Holy Shiiiit!” He wheezed, clutching at both his phone and his chest, trying to control the rapid thumping in his chest. He glanced to his left, where the voice had come from and there she was, standing next to his locker, and giving him an odd look.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, a small smirk pulling at the left side of her lips. She wasn’t laughing at him, but she obviously was amused by the whole thing.

"Yeah- you just gave me a freakin' heart attack, that's all!" Ryuji laughed off, shaking his head a little as he recovered from his initial shock. His hand slid from his chest, where he’d been gripping his shirt in shock, to scratching his head, trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. Girl was stealthy, he'd give her that.

“Sorry, I thought you saw me. I waved.” She raised her hand and gave it another little wiggle at around shoulder height, repeating a wave he'd certainly seen her do beforehand, but had apparently missed on this occasion.

He rolled his eyes at her, and instead of continuing that conversation he opened his locker, quickly switching his shoes. “You ready to go?”

“Mhmm.” Akiko nodded firmly, falling into step beside him as they left the school and headed to the subway together. It was a sunny day, but there was a stiff breeze in the air that kept pulling at their hair and clothes as they went. It was like the wind itself was trying to push them along.

As they walked, Ryuji quickly checked his other missed messages. There was one from Akiko, and about four from Ann. He opened Ann’s first, which was just a series of messages asking him where he was, if he was alright, did he want to meet up at the hideout today and why was he ignoring his phone. Akiko’s was simply a simple _‘I'm waiting by your locker if you wanted to still go to the gym today.’_

He replied to neither and soon the two were on the subway and off.

\----

"Oh yeah!” Morgana stretched, raising his arms up and twisting his body from left to right. It was always so jarring, having the cat one moment, and the large headed furry monster the next, but Ryuji would admit, it was a good indicator of being in the Metaverse. The more they came, the easier it got to slip in and out, it seemed. “We haven’t decided on the new recuit’s code name yet!”

“It has to be ‘Kitsune’.” Ann chimed in, turning to look at Yusuke’s phantom thief attire. “You know, what with that mask and everything.” 

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji agreed. “That’ll leave an impression!” 

“Are you referring to me?” For some reason, Kitagawa didn’t seem as stoked for his codename as the other two were.

“What do you want your name over here to be?” Ann asked. To be fair, they had each chosen their own names, so he should have the right to do so as well.

“Hmmm...” Yusuke hummed in thought, before nodding to himself. “I’d like to go by ‘Da Vinci’.”

“Nope!” And like that, he lost his right to pick his own codename. For real? Da Vinci? Could he make it any more obvious that he was an artist with a name like that? But that still left the real question of what to call their newest member... “Well, you’ve got that mask, like Ann said...not to mention that weird tail...”

Hmmm... Kitsune was a no-go, but it should have something to do with foxes... the mask and tail practically demanded it.

“Oh I’ve got it! Aburaage!” Fox’s loved fried tofu! It was perfect!

Morgana choked down a laugh at Ryuji’s feet, but jokes on him, looks like Aburaage liked his new name!

“Very well, Aburaage it is.” He nodded.

“Nuh-uh. Not happening.” Ann shook her head and crossed her arms. Her voice was pretty firm in her denial of the new name, and Ryuji knew better than to argue with her when she got like that. “Do you have any ideas, Joker?”

The four phantom thieves looked to their leader, who had been looking off to the right, staring at an empty corner of the parking lot they found themselves in just outside the massive golden shiny museum. She quickly turned her attention back to the group, her cheeks flushing red at being caught not paying full attention.

She was silent for a moment as she thought to herself, but it didn’t take long for her to offer up a small, “Fox?”

“Keepin’ it literal, eh?” Ryuji smirked, “Works for me.”

“It’s in english too, just like the rest of our names, so it matches!” Ann beamed brightly.

“What do you think, Fox?” Morgana asked, testing out the new name to see if Kitagawa approved.

“It is acceptable.” He nodded, smiling a little from underneath his traditional vulpine mask. Fox it was then.

With that decided, the group began to make their way inside the Museum. Now that they were a team of five, they were a larger target, so they had to be careful with how and when they moved if they wanted to maintain the element of stealth. They didn’t want to break up the team into smaller teams just yet, fights would be easier with all hands on deck after all, but they had to move a bit slower than they had before.

It didn’t take them very long to get back to that central garden where they had to deactivate the lasers their previous venture in, and thankfully, their plan had succeeded and the lasers remained off, and the door was unlocked and easy to enter.

There was one lone security guard pacing at the landing just above the room that Ann and Ryuji had had to infiltrate the last time they were in. Akiko silently gave them all the signal to wait until the shadow had its back turned to the stairs before she rushed forward, her coat tails fluttering behind her as she darted up the stairs quietly.

With agility and grace that Ryuji himself possibly couldn’t hope to replicate, their leader climbed onto the Shadow, quickly scrambling up it’s back and before it could fully comprehend it’s predicament, Akiko was rolling over its shoulder, her hands pulling the heart shaped mask along with her. The Shadow tipped forward, but their Joker was too fast, too quick. Her feet touched the ground as she landed right side up, ripping the mask off in one clean move, the shadow rearing back up and howling in pain, exploding into black goo, before revealing it’s true form. A massive man made of what seemed to be paper. Ryuji was for some reason reminded of a paper talisman, the traditional kind used in prayers at temples...

“Carmen!” Ann cried, calling forth her own persona to capitalize on the Shadow’s confusion and give their leader time to recover from her intentional tumbling endeavor. A large concentrated fire ball blasted the creature in the back, causing him to stumble two steps forward. Akiko’s black silhouette scrambled to avoid getting under foot and back around to the group so she wasn’t alone in the fight.

The large white man was slow to turn around, reaching around to pat out the lingering flames that flickered at his back.

Not wanting to give him an opportunity to strike first, Ryuji looked to Yusuke and caught the other boy’s attention. “Together!” Ryuji affirmed, making sure that Fox was on the same page as he was before striking.

“ZIONGA!”  
“BUFU!” 

Bright blue electric light struck first, hitting their foe in the side and forcing him to stumble to the right, directly into the path of the barrage of sharp, deadly icicles being thrown his way. They weren’t enough to pierce through, just what was this monster made of!? Clearly not actual paper like it seemed, otherwise the ice should have gone straight through, or even earlier when Ann had used her fire based attacks he would have gone up into smoke.

“Makami!” Ryuji looked over his shoulder to see Joker call forth yet another persona that they had fought previously as a shadow, and their leader had somehow convinced to join her. “Frei!”

Ryuji was unfamiliar with the name of the spell, but the blast of energy was enough to finally knock the tall what entity off its feet. The hulking beast succumbed to his knees with an earth rumbling crash.

“Rush him!” Morgana cried, his blade drawn. The teenagers quickly followed suit and soon all five phantom thieves were unleashing a barrage of attacks. Blades and whips and blunt objects, all flew through the air and happened to make connections. Ryuji himself swung his steel pipe and aimed for the creature’s middle. It was enough to make the creature double over in pain. Ann took advantage of the creature's pain and using her whip, she connected squarely in his chin, whipping the massive white man’s head backwards. Yusuke and Morgana followed up at the same time, each taking a slice at either side of the Bringer of Misfortune, causing it to howl in pain, his arms flailing as he attempted to defend himself. Akiko delivered the final blow, running up the center of the group, continuing up the center of the creature, running up his stomach, her dagger drawn. With a throaty war cry, Akiko leapt off his chest and used the force of her descent down to help drive her blade right into the center of the beast's forehead, stabbing the star like it was a target.

The two fell to a crumpled heap on the floor, Akiko’s form nothing but a blur of black and red coat tails and flurry of black messy hair. Her leather clad thighs straddled the beast's neck as they went down, softening her landing, slumping forward over the handle of the blade as she did. It took her a moment, but she straightened herself, flipping her hair back over her shoulder and out of her eyes as she stood up, the shadow dissolving into black nothingness at her feet, leaving them victorious. 

“Way to go, Joker!” Ann cheered, jumping up and down in victory, her heels clacking against the tile floor. How did she do that? Wasn’t she worried about breaking her ankle if she landed wrong? Ryuji’s feet twitched in phantom pains. “That was awesome!”

“Stunning. Simply stunning.” Yusuke spoke more to himself, as he closed one eye and used his index fingers and thumbs pressed together to frame Akiko’s in his gaze. “Such power and grace...Just like a beautiful spirit of vengeance.”

“Enough with that Onryō crap already!” Ryuji snapped, feeling himself flush red at the fervent attention the other boy was dedicating to his friend, who just so happened to be a girl, who yeah, he could admit it, looked pretty attractive right now. Standing with her legs spread apart from the fall, with her back turned to the team, yet still looking at them over her shoulder, twisting at the waist with her dagger still clutched in hand, dangling dangerously at her side.

It was true what Yusuke had said though, that she looked super badass and powerful right now, but like, come on dude... Even if Ryuji himself couldn’t help but notice the tightness of her leather pants and the way they hugged and cupped at her curves.

“Enough gawking at your leader, boys, we’ve got a treasure to steal.” Morgana snickered, giving them both the stink eye before rushing forward, joining Joker at her side and pulling at her cloak to move them along in their infiltration.

“I wasn’t gawking, I was admiring her strength and elegance.” Yusuke muttered to himself, and Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say, pretty boy. Good fight though, let’s keep it up, yeah?” He gave his teammate a pat on the shoulder, before following Ann, Akiko and Morgana, who’d already made it to the top of the staircase, talking about a pamphlet to the museum that they could use as a map.

Ryuji had to hand it to the Artist, he was a quick leaner like he said, once they got started, he picked up on what the others were doing and was able to follow suit with little mistakes. They all really gelled together as a team, and Ryuji was really coming to appreciate it.

“....pretty boy?” Yusuke’s confused voice followed after him.

\----

With the new map expansion in their possession, they were able to get an idea of where the treasure was located, this large suspicious room located in the main hall. They were even able to plan a route through the lounge and the gallery all the way to the Treasure! Despite the size of this place, Ryuji felt it was almost easier to navigate than Kamoshida's Castle had been, but maybe he only felt that way because he had that experience under his belt now. Would this place be just as confusing if it were his first experience in the Metaverse?

Once they passed through to the next room, a seemingly large, massive open space with several guards, they almost ran straight through, but Akiko was quick to point out the infrared lasers, saving them from unnecessarily increasing the level of security. They had to sneak up on several different guards, making their venture across the floor slower than anticipated. It took longer than idealy planned, but once they finally made it across the room, the group off phantom thieves turned to go down the hall to the right, quickly spotting a guard stationed in front of a control room of some kind.

They didn’t have any other choice but to face him, as they would need to get into that control room and tamper with the security no doubt.

“Huh!? Who are you!? How did you get in here!?” Snarled the shadow in the suit as they approached, with Akiko leading the way. The leader of the Phantom Thieves was walking forward confidently, her teammates at her sides, there to support her through whatever she needed to.

“Step aside.” Akiko commanded. Her voice was firm and commanding, nothing like the soft spoken girl at school. The Duality of his friend could be jarring at times. It was almost as if Akiko and Joker were completely separate people at times, but Ryuji could understand it, to a degree. He felt so perfectly himself, so finally at home in his own skin now, his skull mask feeling just as much like his own face as his bare skin now. It wasn’t something that he’d struggled too much with, back in the real world, but he could imagine how this feeling of certainty in oneself might affect someone who did struggle with it.

He hoped that eventually Akiko could feel that confidence in reality too...

“You expect me to move just because you tell me to!?” Snarled the guard, not scared of the teenagers before him. “Think again brats!” His voice shifted and deepened, as the guard exploded into black goo, revealing the monster within, a massive man with blue skin and wings, his armor was white and black, and he made the first move, rushing forward to swipe at Joker with his clenched fists.

“Goemon! Bufu!” Yusuke cried, calling forth his Persona to cut off the Shadow from attacking their leader with a blast of ice magic between the two like a barrier. 

“Zoro!” Morgana joined in the fight, “Garula!” A heavy gust of wind knocked the shadow back, now that his wings were extended wide to stop himself from hitting the ice, forcing him back against the wall, rattling the glass of the control room, turning the hall into a wind tunnel, their hair and clothes whipping and twisting in the current.

Akiko reached for her waist band and pulled her gun from her hip and took aim at the creature's wings, taking advantage of their immobility. She got two solid hits out of eight, landing one on each side, but Ann quickly followed up with a barrage of bullets, spraying left to right and back to left again before the drum ran out.

“Persona!” Ryuji snarled, calling forth Captain Kidd to blast the flying shadow with a hearty bolt of electricity. The shock was enough to temporarily paralyze the guard in place.

“Unload on him!” Akiko cried, now that herself and Ann had reloaded and were ready to go another round. Ryuji pulled out his shotgun, and Yusuke revealed his rifle and took aim down sight himself. 

The hail of bullets was enough to finish the guard and he slipped into a black inky puddle, vanishing from the hall like he’d never been there to begin with, leaving not even a stain on the gold and maroon eyesore of a carpet beneath their feet.

With the guard now out of the way, all they had to do was hit a few buttons and they could finally move forward.

\----

Okay, so it wasn’t so easy as just hitting a button on the computer, but after they overheard a conversation between two other guards talking about the new passcode, they were quick to figure out that they needed to backtrack to that awful, tacky statue of Madarame. 

‘One ray of hope stands alone with two adept hands. None shall match him.’ was engraved into the base of the nasty thing. He made it sound like he wanted people to worship him like a god or some shit.

Yusuke, Morgana and Akiko quickly figured out that it meant one one two zero was the code, and thankfully they were correct, because that shut down the invisible laser maze and raised the gates, granting them access to the next room.

Stepping into the massive painting had been surreal, but super convenient as it raised them to a level that they never would have been able to without the extra elevation. Ryuji didn’t like the weird rippling reality of stepping from one painting to another, but it was what they needed to do.

Crawling through an air duct, they quickly found a safe room which they certainly took advantage of, everyone taking a moment to sit, stretch, and drink some water. Once they were feeling a little more refreshed and energized, they were back at it. No rest for the wicked and all that.

Next up was a room full of more giant paintings, but there was something different about this one. Yusuke was quick to point out that two of the frames were empty. They quickly went forward to investigate further.

Sheesh, what a pain! At least Kamoshida's Castles had paintings that acted like real paintings, dang it! This was too confusing!

\----------------------

“A will seed?” Yusuke asked, tilting his head as their leader, this powerful woman of trickery and conviction pocketed a strange skull-like object that was glowing green from the mouth. “It’s so...Sinister. It’s abhorrent, yet so compelling...”

“This is the second one we’ve found actually.” Ryuji, or Skull, he really had to learn to switch to the code names, jumped into the conversation. “We got three of ‘em in the last palace, so that should be one more here too. Once we do that, it should turn into a crystal.”

“There’s this boy named Jose!” Panther added, smiling brightly. “He’s this cute little boy in Mementos who collects flowers!”

“He’s not that cute...” Mona grumbled to himself under his breath, but no one paid him too much mind.

“And this Jose has something to do with these skull-like seeds?”

“He turns the crystal into jewelry.” Joker said simply, like it explained it all, and Yusuke guessed he’d have to take that as his final answer for now. 

“Then we should keep an eye out for any more of them.” Yusuke vowed. If it would help strengthen them in their fight against his former mentor, then Fox was willing to try.

It was humbling really, just how hard these strangers were fighting to stop his teacher from taking advantage of anymore people. This wasn’t their problem, they didn’t need to fight so hard for him, but it was inspiring to see that they did it anyway. They fought for justice because it was the right thing to do, and Yusuke wanted to be able to do the same.

The team moved forward, deeper and deeper into the depths of the Museum. 

“The shit-? What the hell is up with this place!?” Ryuji cried, as they burst into a room full of nothing but golden stairs and bright white light, like an MC Esher style headache of gaudiness and tacky décor. Yusuke had thought that he’d seen everything that was to see about this distorted world, but to think that such a bizarre world such as this could truly be conjured up by his sensei...

“All this gold!” Ann complained, squinting and trying to find a place to look that didn’t hurt. “It’s hurting my eyes!” Yusuke agreed, it was much too obnoxious to be anything other than painful.

“This is bad...” Morgana fretted, twisting his paws together as they looked around. “The Distortions are especially bad here... It’s barely holding up! Plus, this room isn’t on either of our maps...”

“So that means, to make our way through we have to ascertain the truth through our eyes alone.” Truly a test they must overcome, Yusuke decided, stepping forward himself to try and lead the group, but Akiko quickly joined him by his side, guiding him to the right instead. 

She was right, of course, and deeper into the golden twisted labyrinth they went.

\---

Several fake paintings and multiple false walls later, they’d managed to make their way out of that putrid hellscape. Yusuke never wanted to paint with the sparkling metal again if he could avoid it. 

But their struggles were worth it because at the end of it all was Madarame! The disgusting version of his former father figure was standing guard at the center of the room, his back to a box of red lasers surrounding an amorphous glowing blur that twisted and almost hummed in a way.

“The Treasure!?” Ann whisper-shouted, and Morgana gave a shocked meow from their feet. That phosphorescent blob was the treasure? For some reason, Yusuke had expected something more....solid?

“Let’s get a closer look!” Ryuji pushed, ushering them forward, but sticking closer to the walls, as to not be seen.

“There’s no mistaking it!” Morgana purred once they got close enough to get a better look. "That's certainly the Treasure. All we have to do now, is send the card and make Madarame aware it’ll be stolen, it’ll materialize like ‘Yoohoo!’” 

Ann had told him that their previous targets Treasure had taken the form of a crown, which was fitting for a man who saw himself as king of a castle...”I wonder what form Madarame’s Treasure will take...” The artist mused aloud, crossing his arms in thought.

“I bet it’s a self-portrait or something like that.” Ryuji scoffed, shaking his head in disgust. “But we won’t know for sure until we send the calling card. So what now? Think it’s safe to say we got our route set?”

Morgana gave a nervous hum, drawing everyone's attention down to him. “We know where the Treasure is, which is fantastic progress, but I wouldn’t say for sure that we’ve secured the route just yet...”

“Those lasers surrounding it... not to mention all the guards....” Akiko muttered, agreeing with Mona that they couldn’t just waltz in there and demand the Treasure with those kinds of odds against them. Yusuke agreed as well. They would have to figure something out, forcing their way through would prove fairly difficult it seemed.

“Let’s look around, we’re sure to find something.” Mona pressed. The group didn’t really have much else of a choice it seemed. At first they went to the left, discovering yet another safe room, and a control room, where they were able to lift some shudders, and were able to temporarily shut down the main power, if only for a few moments before the backup generator engaged and power was restored. They also attempted to shut off the lasers, but were unable to do so because they were not Madarame himself, as only he was able to override the maximum security protocol.

Before they could do any more investigation into the control panel, a guard burst into the room, sent by Madarame to discover the source of the blackout. “You’re the ones who tampered with the electricity!”

“Crap, we got company!” Ryuji jumped in his skin, whipping around to face the heart-shaped masked shadow, which quickly exploded into three small monsters, ones that looked like that Makami, the persona that Akiko had used earlier, was at once ready to fight. 

\---

“Phew, that was a surprise...” Ann sighed, adjusting her pink gloves. It was an interesting contrast against her red uniform that Yusuke couldn’t help but admire. It was an unconventional combination and he'd always had a soft spot for the unconventional.

“We only really managed to do was open the shutters...” Ryuji noted, sounding frustrated with their lack of progress. Yusuke had to agree.

“On top of that, we can only turn the lights off briefly, while the lasers remained unaffected as well.” He added, glaring at the consol behind them.

“We can see what’s beyond the shutters at least.” Akiko offered, “We’ve made some progress, it’s better than nothing.” Her voice didn’t offer too much optimism, and Yusuke suspected she was beginning to tire, much like he was himself. They’d been going at a very steady pace since they’d arrived, only stopping briefly in each safe room to treat the bumps and bruises and rehydrate. Yusuke couldn’t speak for the others, they had been doing this longer than he had, but the artist was starting to feel the fatigue settle into his bones.

He wouldn’t say anything if the others were still okay to go, but he did hope that they would be calling it a night soon. He longed for a nice hot shower once he got back home...

\---

Their persistence rewarded them, because it wasn’t too long after that, did they discover the final will seed, yet another safe room, and a method of obtaining the Treasure that was truly befitting of those who call themselves Phantom Thieves, if Yusuke said so himself.

With their infiltration route successfully secured, the group left the palace and regrouped in the parking lot once more.

“That was incredible!” Morgana purred, leaping up and down in joy. “Yet again, we found the Treasure in a single day!”

“Aside from that place with all the staircases, the layout was a lot simpler than Kamoshida’s castle.” Ryuji offered, “And we made a lot of progress the last couple times we visited too!”

“That’s true, but still, we made a lot of progress today!” Ann beamed. “I thought for sure we were going to be stuck in those paintings forever! It was so disorientating, going from one landscape to another so suddenly.”

“I agree, it’s thanks to our Leaders sharp eyesight we were able to advance as quickly as we did.” Yusuke looked over to said leader for her opinion, only to notice that once again she was not paying attention to the group, her gaze glued to the same corner of the parking lot as before. 

“Aki?’ Ryuji asked, also noticing her dispondance it seemed. He didn’t sound super concerned just yet, but his brow fured deeply when she didn’t acknowledge her name being called directly either. Her grey eyes were almost vacant of life, and Yusuke was worried. Was this some sort of dissociative seizure, or something?

“Aki-chan?” Ann pressed, placing a hand gently on the other girl's arm, “Aki-chan, are you okay?” Her voice was dripping with concern, and Yusuke had to say, he was touched by the level of dedication that Ann had for her friends. She was a very kind girl...

Their leader seemed to snap back into consciousness, nearly a whole thirty seconds after Ann made physical contact with her body, taking a deep breath and blinking in shock, as if perhaps her soul had just returned to her body. 

“H-Hi, I’m here, S-sorry what were we talking about?” She asked, her voice off, shaky and breathless as she tried to act normal as to not raise concerns. Too late for that, Yusuke thought as she watched Ryuji take up Akiko’s other side, offering her an arm to lean against, which she politely declined.

“Are you okay? You were really out of it there...” Ann pressed, removing one of her gloves and brushing Akiko’s bangs aside to feel for her temperature. “Are you feeling okay? Are you dizzy? Do you need to sit down?”

“A-Ann-chan, I’m fine, really...” Their leader tried to protest, but it seemed that none of the team was buying that today.

“Are you hungry? We should head home and get some curry from the Chief.” Morgana suggested. “I could go for some fish myself.”

“I’m feeling rather hungry myself.” Yusuke interjected, his stomach twisting painfully in his abdomen at the mention of curry. He could certainly go for some curry himself, but he doubted there were enough ingredients at home to make anything worthwhile. He’d have to go to the corner store and buy something once they returned to reality.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Ryuji offered, hitching a thumb towards the opening of the parking lot. “We worked hard today, we all earned a good meal I think. That should help clear the brain fog, yeah?”

Akiko took a moment to reply, her mouth silently forming words for a moment before she smiled softly and agreed with a soft, “...yeah...” in reply.

They had secured their route to the Treasure, and the only thing they needed to do now was send the calling card, and pull off the heist. It was daunting, but exhilarating at the same time.

Yusuke couldn’t wait to get started.

\---------------

 **Tae:** I’m developing a new medicine. I’d like you to come in and test it for me today.

It didn’t take long for the Doctor to receive a reply, her phone chiming in her palm.

 **Guinea pig-chan:** I’ll be there shortly. Would you prefer I have a full stomach or not?

 **Tae:** Eat a balanced breakfast. I don’t need a skeleton to work on.

She already had one of those in the back after all. Besides, while it was true she did need the girl to test a new formula for her, she had alternative reasons for calling the teenager in today. She’d done some more snooping into the depths of the girls medical history and had discovered something she needed to speak to her about before they continued with this ...relationship.

 **Guinea pig-chan:** I’ll be over as soon as I’m finished eating then.

Tae set her phone to the side and sighed as she picked up the stack of papers that had been faxed over this morning. It was Kurusu Akiko’s full medical history from the practitioner in her hometown. The warning at the beginning was enough to catch her complete attention and Tae had done nothing but read until she found the information she was looking for.

It was with a beleaguered sigh that she read the entry again, not exactly wanting to approach the subject of a past Suicide attempt, but she knew that she’d have to get a better idea of her patients mental health before they could continue with their experiments.

She didn’t want to give the teenager the impression that she could manipulate the Doctor into assisting her with any future attempts, after all. Tae was using the girl to try and save people, not help them take their own lives.

“What am I getting myself into...” Takemi Tae sighed, leaning back heavily in her chair and rubbing at her eyes. This was not how she wanted to be spending her sunday, Dammnit!

_\--xx/xx/20xx 10:57pm_

_Kurusu Akiko, age twelve, was admitted to Nanbu medical hospital by Amamiya Seiko, her Aunt and legal guardian. Amamiya-san reports that she found Kurusu unresponsive in the bathroom, next to a puddle of vomit and several empty pill bottles. Amamiya drove her niece to the hospital personally, instead of calling an ambulance, sighting nosey neighbors as the reason._

_Patient was unresponsive upon admission, with a dangerously low heart rate and below average blood pressure._

_Amamiya reports that the girl has been suffering from a deep depression and violent mood swings since her parents passed away two months ago. She reports that Kurusu has been violent towards herself and her daughter, Kurusu’s elder cousin, but that they had been dealing with it as a family and have denied any further assistance._

_Stomach has been pumped and the patient remains unconscious, but her vital signs are drastically improving. Kurusu will be kept in hospital for observation until further notice. I plan to speak with Kurusu myself come morning._

_-Dr Kuwabara K._

The stack of paper thumped heavily against her desk as she tossed it aside with a groan. This wasn’t what Tae had wanted to do today, but she needed to talk to the girl about her dark history before they did anymore experiments, that was given. Was that why she’d taken the medicine so easily in the previous trial? She’d been hoping for a more dramatic result?

The girl was awfully silent... Takemi wouldn't be surprised if the teenager was depressed, many people were after all... And violence outbursts against her family? Could this possibly be Bipolar Disorder?

The Doctor’s gut twisted as she made the decision to make a phone call before the teenager made her way over to the clinic for another round of testing.

A quick google search later, Tae was dialing the number for Nanbu General Hospital and waiting for someone to pick up. “Hello, excuse me, is Doctor Kuwabara Kazuma on shift currently? If he has time I’d like to talk to him regarding a mutual patient of ours. Yes, I can wait. My name? It’s Doctor Takemi Tae, from Tokyo.” 

Time to gather some more information about her little Guinea pig-chan.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and sticking with the story so far, I really really appreciate all of the support. From regular commenters, or ever just the lurkers! Thank you all for the support. Chapter 18! Holy smokes, what a ride!
> 
> So I tried to write more action in this chapter, challenging myself to write some fight scenes and I hope they were enjoyable to read and easy to understand what I was attempting to get across.
> 
> On a dumb side note, next week is my birthday! I'm turning 28, and pretending that 30 isn't staring me in the face like an incoming truck ʘ‿ʘ
> 
> Next time on Rolling Girl: sending a calling card and spending time with confidants.  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> Guys, it's coming. It may be a few more chapters, but we're getting close. So so close, it's like I can smell the shampoo already. The promise 'Hair Day' is approaching and I for one, can't wait!  
> (・∀・)


	19. Chapter 19: Morgana, Yusuke, Sojiro.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confidants, Calling Cards, Heists and Confrontations.
> 
> Oh my...

Chapter 19: Morgana, Yusuke, Sorijo.

\---

While it was certainly convenient for Morgana to keep traveling with Akiko by hiding in her school bag, he wondered if the same method would be as practical come Summer time, once things got warmer and muggier. Would it be impossible to hide away completely once the weather got hotter? He was looking forward to the warmer climate, sure, but that joy wouldn’t last if his main traveling system became unbearable. It was already a little stuffy inside here to begin with...

“Oh? You ride this train at this time too?” Yusuke’s voice brought Morgana from his musing and given the shift in Akiko’s body, she hadn’t heard or seen their newest teammate approaching either. “What a coincidence.”

“Yu-Yusuke-san! Good morning!” Akiko offered, and Morgana could hear the small smile in her voice, feel the jumping of her shoulders as she adjusted her stance to face the boy properly and address him to his face, presumably.

“Yes, a Good morning indeed.” Yusuke agreed, a chuckle in his voice. “We accomplished so much on Saturday I must say I’m impressed. I was rather exhausted afterwards, I must say. I think I slept for a full twelve hours yesterday! Thankfully Sen-...Madarame accepted my excuse of a cold.” 

Akiko gasped and instantly began asking questions, taking a step forward. “D-Did we push you too hard on Saturday? I’m sorry, I should have asked how you were holding up, I forgot you’re still new to this-”

“Akiko-chan, I’m fine.” Yusuke laughed, cutting off their leaders' panicked apologies and concern. “If I was truly struggling, I would have said something during our breaks in the safe rooms.”

“A-are you sure? I wouldn’t want to push you too hard-”

“Akiko-chan, honestly, I am never better.” Yusuke insisted, his tone light and jovial. Morgana could practically hear the gentle, placid smile on his face. “We finished investigating the Palace, after all and that sense of accomplishment is enough to energize me.”

Morgana supposed he understood the artist's sentiment, but the boy was certainly eclectic in his manner of speech and it was bizarre enough for Morgana to have to take a moment to translate it to ‘normal’ in his head. 

“All that’s left is for us to send the Calling card, correct? May I ask when you plan to send it?” Yusuke pressed, sounding excited to go forth with their plans.

“I-uh, I wasn’t sure about that just yet...” Akiko mumbled before posing her own question instead. “Would you be willing to make our Calling card? You’re a very talented artist, I’m sure you could put together something incredible...”

“M-Me? A v-very talented artist?” Yusuke gasped, his voice shaking in hardly contained joy. Morgana could sympathize to a degree, if Lady Ann had called him a talented thief, he’d probably preen in excitement too. But, did that mean that Yusuke felt the same for Akiko as Morgana felt for Lady Ann, or was it just a honest reaction to an honest compliment from a friend? Morgana would have to do some investigating, that was for certain.

The artist was eccentric, sure, but he was a better choice than a certain unapologetic ape Morgana knew, in terms of a possible romantic partner for his roommate.

“Certainly, leader-san.” The artist chuckled darkly, a conviction in his voice, an assuredness that Morgana liked to hear, “I will spend my freetime at school on it today. I want to be able to stop that man as soon as possible, after all. I should have it done by the end of the day. We could meet together after school then. I’ll be waiting at the hangout.”

“Thank you, Yusuke-san. I admire your dedication.” Akiko offered, bowing politely at her waist and Morgana felt his world shift as the bag shifted with her center of gravity. Geez! A little warning please!

“And I, yours, Akiko-chan. I hope to live up to your expectations.” Yusuke replied, before turning his attention elsewhere it seemed, as the topic of conversation drastically shifted, “Ah, Togo-san. Good morning to you.”

“Hmm? Oh- Kitagawa-san, was it?” A soft spoken girl replied, her voice was gentle and controlled, speaking formally much like Akiko herself did. “Good morning. I hope you're doing well. I heard that your sensei’s exhibition is going well. I’ve been meaning to pay a visit, but I must admit I’ve been too busy with practice.”

“You have a shogi tournament coming up, correct? It’s only understandable that you prioritize honing your skills.” Yusuke dismissed easily, though Morgana suspected that he just didn’t want to talk about Madarame if he could avoid it. Not that the not-cat could blame him...to be raised from such a man...

“Oh, forgive my rudeness, allow me to introduce you to my friend, Kurusu Akiko. Akiko-chan, this is my classmate, Togo Hifumi. She’s a Shogi master, often competing in tournaments. She’d made headlines over her accomplishments, I hear.” Yusuke explained, and Morgana wished he could sneak himself out of the bag so that he could take in her appearance and get a mental image of this polite Shogi master and what she might look like. He saw a very professional and traditional girl in his mind, wearing a full kimono, or perhaps a full business suite? Though, then again, she was Yusuke’s classmate right? So she was probably in the female version of his own school uniform.

“Hello Kurusu-san. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And a pleasure to meet you as well, Togo-san. I-I must say, I really like your hair piece. It’s beautiful.” Akiko stammered a little, bowing once again, and Morgana had to dig his claws in to stop from sliding down to one side. The high schooler's fabric pencil case fell and smacked him in the face. Sheesh! Come on!

“O-Oh! T-Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” Togo-san stuttered herself, and Morgana could hear the genuine happiness in her voice, which was sweet. Akiko was getting better at interacting with new people, he noted. She was still soft spoken and shy, but in the few weeks they’d been together, he’d certainly seen an improvement in her confidence. He was proud of her, really.

“Y-You play Shogi? I-I must admit, I’ve always been interested in it, myself...” Akiko prompted, keeping the conversation in Togo-san’s realm of comfort. Morgana had to admit, it was a clever move. As a person who was socially awkward like Akiko appeared to be, asking about the other person's interests meant she would have to divulge little information about herself, and could actively remain silent as she listened to the other girl speak about her passions. Their leader had been reading Sojiro’s old sociology books recently, if Morgana was remembering correctly. His old pick up books were also hiding in there too, but he hadn’t thought that Akiko would have picked those up... Those were just sleazy books on picking up girls after all.

“Perhaps Togo-san would be willing to teach you sometime? Best to learn from a master, after all.” Yusuke offered on behalf of his classmate, and Morgana had to hold back a laugh. Seriously? That wasn’t his place to offer! The two classmates were not even on a first name basis! They clearly weren’t close friends! He couldn’t just offer up Shogi lessons on behalf of a practical stranger!

“Y-Yusuke-san, I-I couldn’t possibly insist-!”  
“I-I would l-love to, r-really, but I’m afraid I’m too busy at the moment-!”

Both girls protested at once, before they realized that they’d cut each other off, pausing for a moment.

“I-I’m so sorry-!”  
“I-I’m so sorry-!”

Once again, they each stopped once they realized they were cutting each other off again, and the two teenagers devolved into quiet tittering laughter. They’d practically copied each other, down to the inflections of their apologies.

The loud speakers chimed, warning them of the incoming train, the robotic woman's voice letting them know that the incoming train was in fact the train they wanted to get on to get to school. The group of three teenagers shuffled forward, as it seemed that Kosei high school was just a few stops down the line from Shujin Academy was.

The hustle and bustle of people was almost overwhelming, and Morgana wished he could stick his head out just to breath, but he couldn’t expose himself in front of Togo-san now! Darn it! He should have taken the opportunity to move when it was just Yusuke and them! Shoot! He’d missed his chance.

“K-Kurusu-san I... I may be too busy at the moment, but i-if you are really interested in learning to play, we could exchange numbers and I could message you when I’m available? O-or even...just to talk?” Togo-san offered and Morgana felt Akiko shift her arms, reaching for her cellphone in her pocket.

The two girls swapped phone numbers and chat ID’s and Morgana couldn’t help but wonder if Yusuke had planned this. Akiko and Togo-san were rather similar in their dispositions, so to try and orchestrate a friendship between them was almost brilliant.

Not to mention that Akiko might be able to adapt some battle tactics from the different kinds of Shogi techniques. This was going to be a very beneficial relationship, if Morgana got the right feeling about this.

He usually had the right intuition about this sort of thing after all.

\---

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Yusuke? Once we change his heart, there’s no going back.” Morgana had to ask, now they were all gathered in the meetup spot, the four teemagers leaning against the rail of the overpass and looking out onto the street beyond the large glass wall.

“I have thought it over carefully, and I can no longer think of a future in which he does not pay his dues.” Yusuke was firm in his decision it seemed. “He had preyed not only on the art world, but on countless talents.... So, I humble request your help. All of you. I won’t be able to do this alone.”

“Dude, are you forgetting all the shit we went through to get your help?” Ryuji smirked, giving the other boy a slight nudge with his arm. “We’re doing this together, no question about it.”

“I...I apologize for making you do this...” Yusuke tried again, stammering over his words as he tried to convey just how much their assistance meant to him.

“Yusuke-kun!” Ann laughed, looking at their newest partner down the line. “You don’t have to apologize! We should be the ones thanking you. We would never have gotten this far without your help after all! You’re determined to do it, right? So there’s nothing more for us to say.”

“I...I spent my spare time at school today designing this ‘Calling card’. I hope I was able to create something fitting for such a suave maneuver.” Yusuke reached into his school bag and pulled out a sketchbook. He opened it to a random page and pulled out a black and red square piece of paper. “I...I may have been inspired by our leaders' colour palette.” He admitted.

“M-me? M-my what?” Akiko stuttered, sounding taken aback.

“Yes. I think the idea of black and red for a group called the ‘Phantom Thieves’ is a fitting choice, don’t you?” Yusuke posed to the rest of the group, which seemed to agree with him.

Morgana certainly did. That calling card looked much better than the cut and paste mess that Ryuji had put together for Kamoshida. It was practically professional. If being a traditional artist somehow didn’t work out for the young boy, he had a future in graphic design, that was for sure.

“It’s not about acting cool.” Morgana reminded the team, even if the improvement was appreciated, it wasn’t the point at the end of the day. “The calling card is a way to trigger a change in his cognition.”

“A change in cognition...” Yusuke parroted, crossing his arms in thought. “And you all have gone through some trouble, regarding that before?”

“Before? What do you mean?” Ryuji asked, stretching his legs out, using the metal railing as an anchor point, holding onto the bar as he leaned back and extended his legs as much as possible. 

“Ah, you must mean when we forced the security doors to open in the courtyard.” Morgana realized, and Yusuke nodded, confirming his suspicion. Before he could explain further himself, Ann jumped in.

“So, Palace’s are in the Cognitive world. So, when we change a ruler’s cognition, the topography can change too!” Not exactly the way he would have worded it, but it was basically correct, so Morgana didn’t bother to correct her, he only added-

“This will be an incredibly vital tactic for us, moving forward.” Not only would it be necessary to force the treasure to reveal itself into a thieve-able object, now that they knew for certain that it could have such a dramatic impact on the progress of future palace exploration, this could easily become their most powerful tool as Phantom Thieves. 

“Forgive me if this is a truly basic question, but.... You mention cognition quite readily... but why does this world formed from materialized cognition even exist to begin with?” Yusuke asked, sounding hesitant to pose the question in the first place. “Don’t tell me that... that such a world has always existed, while we go about our daily lives, completely oblivious?”

Morgana was taken aback by the trembling fear in Yusuke’s musing. The existential fear in the artist’s voice. He wished that he could offer a more concrete answer for his teammate, but unfortunately-

“Honestly...I don’t know.” Morgana sighed. He knew it would be best to be open and honest with all his team members. They were going to help him explore Mementos in search of his original body afterall! They would work better as a team if they all knew the same information, after all. “At the very least, I know it’s existed since at least January of this year, but... that’s all.”

“January?!” Ryuji gasped. “We didn’t find out about it until April! It’s been around that long since before the Kamoshida shit!? For real?!”

“Ryuji, lower your voice!” Ann hushed hashly, leaning over Akiko and Morgana to try and swat at the bleach blond’s head. “We’re in public!” 

“I...I see.” Yusuke sighed, ignoring the banter between the two, focusing solely on Morgana’s answer.

“It’s scary to think about.... Different worlds that we just don’t know about, intersecting with ours...” Akiko mused aloud, as Morgana turned to look at her. She wasn’t looking at the team, or anyone in particular, her gaze far off, looking towards the skyline, or perhaps her own reflection in the glass? It was hard to tell, the light of the later afternoon sun was behind her, and it caught on the heavy lens of Akiko’s glasses, warping the light into tiny rainbows. “We’re already so small as it is...”

“Don’t be so anxious.” Morgana offered, placing a paw on her hand. He knew it wasn’t always as easy as to just, not feel an emotion, but they didn’t have time for deep philosophical debates, they had a calling card to deliver and a treasure to steal! “You can’t freak out about different worlds when you still don’t know anything about the city you moved to a month ago.”

“Akiko-chan, you’re new to Tokyo?” Yusuke asked, but Morgana sighed heavily, they didn’t have time for this!

“All that’s important right now, is that we know how to make use of that world and how to traverse it! Which we do now! So let’s send that calling card!”

“Do you think he’ll even take it seriously?” Ryuji asked, scratching at his head. “He’s a famous person right? Don’t they always get creepy fan letters?”

“That is true...” Yusuke sighed sadly, “However, I believe that he’ll know for certain that the crimes he’s being accused of are real or not.”

“Won’t he recognize you’re writing? Or you’re artstyle?” Ann asked, reaching a hand forward to take a closer look at the card that Yusuke had made.

“Akiko-chan sent me a picture of the calling card that Ryuji-kun had made previously.”

“Ryuji-kun?” Ryuji made a face, his voice doing a weird inflection on the other boy’s choice of suffix. “Dude, just call me Ryuji.”

“-I designed the card with his design in mind, and spent quite a bit of time employing the cut-and-paste style of classic ransom letters. It’s far beyond my realm of comfort, but I must admit, I am rather proud of the results.” Yusuke smirked, adjusting his bangs.

Morgana had to admit, it did look pretty good.

‘Sir Madarame Ichiryusai, a great sinner of vanity, whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who used his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Phantom Thieves.’

“All that’s left is to make the Treasure ours!” Morgana announced, standing firm. “You guys better be ready!”

\----

It was a little difficult to stick posters onto walls without the use of opposable thumbs, but Morgana wasn’t going to let his body hold him back! He was the only one who could risk being caught with a letter, not to mention that a fancy art event like this, was bound to have security cameras everywhere!

The teenagers had placed double sided tape onto the backs of the letters and would then give them to Morgana one by one, the original Phantom Thieves slinking off on all fours to spread the word of Madarame’s crimes before announcing their intentions to the man himself.

Then it was as simple as placed the true calling card on the podium when the exhibit’s staff’s back was turned.

After Yusuke was able to confirm that Madarame had seen it himself, and had certainly been affected by it, the time had come.

\-------------------

“The atmosphere in here seems...significantly different.” He couldn’t help but note. It was oppressive? Heavy certainly, and tense. There was a tangible unease to the very air around them. He knew he’d only been here twice before, but it was obviously a different environment than before.

“I mean, we did basically declare war on him by sendin’ that card.” Ryuji offered, giving a shrug. He seemed confident, but hadn’t he earlier just said that they’d only been doing this for a month? Yusuke had to admire the other boy’s assuredness. It was a mild comfort, to know that the others were sure of themselves.

“There’s nothing to fear.” Morgana assured. “We’ve secured a route, and we’re ready to go. We’ll take the Treasure in style!” He sounded so bold for one so small. Truly, Yusuke was surrounded with inspirational figures.

\---

Sneaking back into the museum took some effort. The security guards were on high alert, the halls nearly crawling with the shadow men and women in suits and heart-shaped masks. They’d been forced to fight a few of them, but thankfully it was nothing they couldn’t handle. 

Yusuke had taken a bit of a fall, losing his footing at an inopportune moment, but thankfully his team was there for him. Ryuji had taken up his front like a human shield, taking their opponents attention, while Ann helped him to his feet and Morgana attacked in his stead while he composed himself. It was humbling just how cohesively they all worked as a team. He hoped to achieve the same level of synchronicity soon.

“It’s finally time.” Ryuji sighed as they closed the door behind them. The level was unattended as before, and Yusuke felt his gut twist anxiously. This was it then. There was no turning back now...

“Worse comes to worse, we might have to fight...” Ann noted, her eyebrows pinching in concern. “Is everyone feeling up for that?”

“I’ve been ready to kick that old geezer’s ass since we got here.” Ryuji grinned, tapping his foot impatiently, but he looked to the others for their reactions as well. The boy was a team player, through and through, Yusuke noted. 

“I’m ready.” Mona grinned, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Fox?” Akiko asked, turning her attention toward their newest member and he froze for a moment, unused to being placed on the spot for his opinion.

“I...” He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “I regret that we might have to come to those circumstances, but if it’s what must be done to bring him to justice, then I will do what I must.”

“Are you ready, Joker?” He posed, turning the question back at the raven haired teen.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She offered with a small shrug, shifting her weight from side to side.

“Alright! Everyone into positions!”

\---

It was incredible! Everything went off without a hitch! He gave Panther the signal once he got Mona in position, and the lights had gone off as planned. He ran back down the catwalk as carefully as he could, shouting back to Joker, “Now!”

She nodded and pulled the switch down with an audible grunt. Her red gloved hand was the same colour as the lever, and the artist muse in him was inspired by the crimson glow highlighting the profile of her face. The sharp angle of her mask, the gentle curve of her chin and the cute perky upturning her button nose.

“Where is Skull? He should be here by now, yes?” He asked, noticing that their leader was the only one in the room. What if a patrol guard came and she was alone? The door creaked open just as he climbed down the ladder to join her for back up, but thankfully it was just Panther, slipping back in to regroup with the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

“Sorry for the wait!” She apologized as she jogged over to them, her heels making a muffled thumping against the carpeted floor. The door opened once again just as she got to their sides and all three teens whipped around to face the intruder. 

“My bad! It took me ages to get that guy off my trail!” Ryuji gasped, waving his yellow gloved hands in greeting as he slid himself between Ann and Akiko. “I needed to make sure I wasn’t followed. Where’s Mona?”

Yusuke quickly recalled that they had quite literally left him on the hook, so to speak. “Let us reconvene with him!”

The team quickly scrambled up the ladder, Joker leading the charge, with Panther and himself taking up her flanks. Ryuji followed up in the rear, keeping an eye out for their trail.

They arrived just in time to see the automatic raising of the hook end, and it truly was a sight to behold. Their plan had gone off seemingly without a hitch so far! Morgana was holding onto the purple silk covered canvas shaped object, and as much as his curiosity urged him to take a look, he knew they didn’t have time.

“L-Lord Madarame! The piece is gone!” 

“Ngh...How dare those vermin...But now we’ll corner them like the rats they are!” The Shadow of his former mentor’s voice echoed from below, and Yusuke had to bite his lip. His sensei may call him vermin, but Yusuke wasn’t the parasitic leech, living off the talents of others.

“So what’d the Treasure turn out bein’? I’m guessin’ it’s a paintin’ based on the shape.” Skull asked, taking a step forward and leaning over Akiko’s shoulder to try and get a better look. Fox noted that his teammate wasn’t afraid to show physical affection in the form of shoulder pats and leaning against one another. 

“We can look into that later.” Yusuke reminded him, “For now, we must escape.”

“Time to go.” Akiko smirked, gesturing for the group to follow her across the catwalks. She jumped across a gap with ease, and started to make her way towards the wall of windows. Ah! He saw what she was intending to do now! Brilliant! Madarame had ordered all the doors to be sealed after all, he’d said nothing about the windows!

\---

The window hadn’t led outside like he’d anticipated, but they quickly descended the side of the golden and intricately detailed building with little issue. They each helped one another down the massively oversized blocks that just happened to descend like stairs. Morgana needed to be helped the most, as he insisted on carrying the Treasure, it was tied to his back and it made his climb down rather cumbersome.

“Another portal to an unknown destination?” The golden archway leading into a pulsing red light was hardly welcoming, but it seemed they had little choice. There was no other way down.

“We don’t have time to second guess ourselves!” Mona urged, “Let’s just go through it! Now’s our chance!”

Akiko took a step forward and the light turned a much more comforting green tone.

The light enveloped them and soon the windy rooftop was no more, instead they were back, in the courtyard! Yusuke would be upset they hadn’t found this hidden pathway before, but what was done was done. They’d managed to escape the main building! All that was left was this farce of a museum and they were free!

“Mrrr.... Meeeoooww.” Fox was taken about by their smallest members' sudden change in demeanor. Since when did Mona meow like a common house cat?

“Dude, why’s Mona gettin’ excited now of all times?” Skull sighed, scratching the back of his head in irritation. This was Mona getting ‘excited’? Yusuke could sympathize, he supposed, he was also feeling the adrenaline, but they didn’t have time for this now! They had to get the Treasure for the real world for the change of heart to occur, right? 

“IIii just can’t take it anymore! Let’s take a look at this Treasure!” Mona practically purred, his black and white paws frantically untying the purple knot from under his neck.

“M-Mona, maybe we-” Joker tried to protest, but it was too late.

“Treasure!” Mona cried, tossing the purple cloth aside, revealing nothing but a practice sketch. A collection of single brushstrokes to make a crude rendition of a face. “Hhrrm!?”

“THIS is the Treasure?!” Skull cried in outrage, and when Yusuke looked to address him, that it was probably a fake, he saw with horror that there were metal poles rising from the floor, crackling blue with volts of electricity.

“Look out!” He warned, leaning down to help Panther to her feet, pulling the closest teammate to safety with him as he dodge to the right. Ryuji and Akiko had both glanced over their shoulders in time to see what he was referring too and they each jumped aside intime to avoid the wall of crackling blue light that formed a box around the painting they worked so hard to obtain.

”Meddlesome vermin.” came a disgustingly familiar voice from behind them and Yusuke turned to glare at his former father figure. He let go off Panther’s shoulders and she gave him an appreciative nod before they rushed forward to join with their teammates in a line against the Shadow leader of this twisted nightmare world.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” The false Shogun sneered, gesturing for the guard on his left that had a gold framed canvas that he carried under his arm.

“So you had a fake prepped, huh!?” Ryuji sneered and Yusuke had to agree, it was pathetically predictable. Yet another fake from Madarame, the master of falsifying art.

“Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art.” Madarame sighed, shaking his head, as if he was explaining basic math to children. 

“What made you change like this!?” Yusuke pressed. When had his sensei become so willing to disregard art for profit? 

“Is it because you became famous!?” Had the pressure to continue to live up to his own legend too much? What had caused his sensei to throw aside his morality?! Madarame had meant everything to Yusuke at one point. The elder artist was the only one who’d seen the potential in him and had fostered him to become the artist he was today! Which exhibit had broken him!? Which interview had pushed him over the edge?! Why had Yusuke been so blind as to see the changes in him?! When had Yusuke failed him!? 

“Can’t you understand how much it pains me to have to inquire about the crimes of my foster father?!” 

Madarame only laughed at his concern, a sneer destroying the once comforting and familiar features of his meteor into something both forgien and disgusting all at once.

“Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting, even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing.” Madarame sighed, shaking his head. “That’s why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created- They’re all MY worlds of art!”

Panther said something, but Yusuke had to admit everything was being consumed by white noise. What? His mother? Madarame had... stolen his mothers art? Had taken credit for the very art that his mother had created with her own two hands? Which pieces?! His mother’s legacy...

“I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die- a glimpse of the genuine ‘Sayuri’!”

“G-Genuine?” What could he possibly-

The guard made a show of exposing the painting beneath his arm and Yusuke felt his world shift. That painting-! The beautiful woman in the portrait, her enigmatic expression was beyond clear now. The infant child wrapped so delicately in her arms, it was clear that her face held nothing but a mothers unequivocal love.

“T-That’s the ‘Sayuri’?” He couldn’t believe it.... He didn’t want to believe it... All this time! The very source of his inspiration! The one piece of art that always sparked his creative muse! “T-This cannot be! M-mom!”

He’d been but a toddler when she’d died, but that face...that gentle expression of love and heartbreaking sadness...It all made sense now, why he’d always been so drawn to this piece in particular. Those eyes so very much like his own!

“Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother, as a self portrait.” As much as he’d suspected, to hear it confirmed... “A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she knew she’d be leaving behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of ‘Sayuri’s expression.”

“You stole something THAT personal!?” Skull cied in outrage. Yusuke had to agree. The depravity on display here... It was cruelly twisting at his insides, and the young artist was unable to suppress the trembling in his hands. His mother’s magnum opus.... Her final piece of work, solely hoping to capture and express her love and despair at leaving her child behind...

“I knew at first glance.” Madarame smirked, rubbing at his chin in recollection. “I knew it’d be a huge success if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my own name!”

B-but still-! “But-but-but the baby in the picture! Why did you paint over it?” Why erase the child- himself? Why erase Yusuke from his mothers portrait?

“It was all to stage it, you foolish simpleton.” Madarame sighed, shaking his head in mock pity for his pupil, speaking slowly as if explaining his plan to a toddler “If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman’s expression will become a mystery! That is what the general public is drawn to after all! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing! I’ve given Japan it’s very own ‘Mona Lisa’!”

“If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn’t even think about trying to replicate it for profit!” Panther protested, stamping her foot in an outrage. “You don’t love art at all!”

“I bet your only talent lies in those scribbles on that fake!” Mona taunted.

“You’re done, asshole!” Skull joined in, pointing an accusatory finger at the shadow in golden robes.

“So, you continue to defy me no matter what...” The Palace rulered sighed, like they were the ones in the wrong for demanding he face justice for his actions, as deplorable as they were.

“Well, since you’re nothing but my work of art, Yusuke, I’m going to reap you for the sake of my own future. Along with those insolent friends of yours there.”

“Treating both Mother and Son as though they were nothing but objects...” Ann spat in disgust, glaring at the pathetic excuse for an ‘Artist’ before them. “You’re inhuman!” 

Im....Impossible... It was just impossible... This whole time? All sixteen years of his life had been nothing but a lie? How? How had he been so blind? And what of his mother? What had become of her? What had truly become of the woman who birthed him?

“Fox?” Their leader's voice cut through the panic and Yusuke found himself asking the question that had been repeating itself over and over since he’d thought of it against his better judgement. He didn’t want to know the answer, not really, but... but he had to know...

“I’ve heard that you destroy your ‘Art’ once we’ve outlived our usefulness to you...” There was a templing in his hands and Yusuke had to clench his fists tightly as his sides to try and maintain his control. “Did that include my mother as well?”

“Ha.” Madarama gave a humorless laugh, dismissing the accusation with a smirk. “She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. She’d been sick for sometime, but never to that extent. It was then that a thought crossed my mind. If I didn’t call for help and just left her to be...I could obtain her painting without any strings attached.”

He’d let her die? Just watched her have a medical emergency and his only thought was about how he could profit off of it!? The very blood in his veins felt like ice, the backs of his arms breaking out into goose pimples as his gut both twisted and sank at the same time. Was he going to vomit? He felt nauseous...

“Come now, Yusuke, didn’t you think it was odd that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The only reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind ‘Sayuri’.” 

The truth? The truth!? The only truth here was that-

“You killed her!”

“The artistic talents that you did inherit from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. It’s so much easier, robbing the future of brats who won’t talk back, rather than adults after all. It was thanks to you that I came up with that idea in the first place, Yusuke. You have my gratitude.”

His gratitude?

“Hahaha...” It was laughable, really. He’d gotten answers, just like he’d feared... “I thank you, Madarame.”

“Yusuke?” gasped Ann, taking a small step forward in his direction, the concern evident in her voice. He hadn’t meant to startle his teammates.

“Every reason that I had for possible forgiving you had vanished from my mind without a trace! You aren’t just some rotten artist- you’re a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist! You’re nothing but a fraud!”

“All you good-for-nothings-! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want!” There was a shift in his former father figure's voice. It grew deeper, more twisted and depraved with every word, his tone growing more and more hysterical with each syllable. “Those who have connections make the rules, those who don’t have no choice but to follow them! Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the God of the art world!”

“Everyone move back!” Morgana cried, “This isn’t going to be good!”

Yusuke watched in bizarre horror as the face of his mentor swelled and swelled until bursting, his individual features becoming massive stand alone floating paintings, his mouth snapping at thin air, and his eyes looking each way, twisting around in their own sockets independently. It was a dramatic irony, really. A man made famous from his stolen art, reduced to nothing but canvas itself.

“I’ll paint all over you!” The floating canvases cried as the team took defensive stances at each other's sides.

“Goemon! Mabufu!” With multiple targets, it made sense to aim for as many as possible, correct?

“Mazionga!” Ryuji followed up with a large, wide blast of crackling blue lightning. The veins of electricity jumped connections from one frame to the other in a chain reaction. Yusuke noted that, while both the bulging portraits of the mouth and nose seem affected, both pairs of floating eyes nearly rolled in their sockets in unsynchronized joy. 

“Focus them one at a time!” It seemed that Joker noted their attacks had only affected half of their targets as well. She called forth a Persona that Fox hadn’t seen her use before. A large red and purple bird that she called ‘Suzaku’ appeared behind her in a burst of dark energy, it’s wings spreading wide. She focused her attack solely on the painter's mouth, sending a blast of pure concentrated energy straight into the gaping maw.

Panther was quick to follow up, tossing a fireball to follow up on their leaders’ attack, the crackling flames lingering on the scraggly mustache, singeing the grey hairs leaving a putrid smell in their wake. 

“Zoro!” Morgana cried, calling for the large intimidating figure of his Persona, who swished his rapear and took his battle stance, ready to fight. The smallest member of the team was quick to capitalize on Carmen’s flames and send a blast of violent wind to whip up the embers, keeping the fires alive.

The mouth gave a garbled scream of paint before lashing out at a speed at which none of the phantom thieves anticipated. The massive set of teeth clamped down on Yusuke’s leg and he had to admit, he screamed more in shock than in pain, as his footing was ripped out from underneath him. Pain quickly followed in his hip, shoulder, and finally the back of his head, all in rapid succession as he was slammed onto his back.

“FOX!” He heard a girls’ high pitched scream before the world blurred at the edges, black spots overtaking his vision slowly until there was nothing left.

\---

“Fox!”

_...What? A girls’ voice?_

“Fox!”

_...They were in the middle of the city, why would a fox be here?_

“Fox! Wake up!”

_Why was that voice so familiar? She sounded so concerned, and something in his chest tightened and turned. Such sensarity..._

“Yusuke! GET UP!”

Consciousness slammed into him like a Tsunami and Yusuke bolted up. A flurry of blonde hair and red leather moved to his left and a mass of thick wavy messy black hair, with matching black leather to his right, parted to allow him access up. A sickening sense of vertigo wracked his senses and a low groan passed his throat without his consent.

“Yusuke!” Ann, Panther, gasped, placing her hands on his shoulder to help steady him, which he was grateful for. He hadn’t even realized that he was wobbling until the pressure of her grip steadied him. “Are you okay?”

Was he? A quick self assessment revealed more bumps and bruised than he’d ever had at once and his temples pulsed painfully with each heart beat-

His musings were interrupted by a commotion in front of them. In their absence from the fight, the battle had been left to Skull and Mona alone. He was unaware for just how long they’d been fighting, or how long he’d been unconscious, but as each of the standing Phantom Thieves was busy trying to hold off a frame of their own, that massive mouth once again came rushing towards him, pushing past the front line.

“YUUUSUUUKEEE!” The disembodied mouth screamed, rushing forward towards him, all teeth and gums and dripping cavernous flesh. He sat rooted in a paralized fear, unable to defend himself in such a position. He was too vulnerable! He was going to be consumed completely by this twisted version of the man he once called Father!

But consumption never came.

“A-Akiko?” He gasped, unable to comprehend the sight before him. Their leader stood in front of him, acting as a human shield, a final line of defense. It was hard to see, but given the position of her body, and the jerking of her stance, Yusuke assumed that Akiko had offered her arm up as a sacrifice for the teeth to chomp on, instead of Yusuke’s lower body. Her right arm, bent at an angle in front of her, while she grasped her hands together to add support to her stance. It was like she was attempting to knock Madarame’s teeth out with her right elbow, but instead of breaking the pristine porcelain, the joint was clamped between the gnashers, being ground upon by the pressure.

“Joker!” Ann screamed next to him, her hands, which were still gripping at his shoulders clenched harder and gave him a shake in her own desperation. The two quickly struggled to regain their footing and rejoin the fight.

“Agilao!” The heat from the fire was enough to make Yusuke take a step back from his teammate, and it seemed it was enough to disengage the mouth from their leader's arm. Now that Joker was free, she took the opportunity to push the attack further, in an attempt to push the awful mouth back into formation with the rest of the floating features and regain some control over the flow of battle.

“Arsen!” Yusuke had never seen the Persona in question before, but something about this one was different than before. The way the cloaked man made seemingly of pure cursed fire, with flaming horns protruding from his temples, curled protectively behind their leader, the way this ‘Arsen’ moved in synchronicity with their wild card’s movements... This must be Her Persona, just as Goemon was his, and Carmen was Panthers. This must have been her original self... Her inner spirit of rebellion?

“EIGAON!”

It was inspiring... and a small part of Yusuke had to smile. He’d said it since the day he’d meet her. Truly, Kurusu Akiko was a spirit of Vengeance incarnate. 

\---

“Madarame’s out!” Morgana cheered, as from the depths of the puddle of goo, crawled the figure of the Palace ruler himself. He stood hunched and haggard, looking in all rights, like a coward backed into a corner.

“I-I’m the great artist- Madarame! If you BRATS can’t fathom that, then you’ll witness it yourselves! Behold my master craft!”

“What the-!? He made copies of himself!?” Mona gasped, and Yusuke had to correct himself. Before, when this Shadow of a man before him had torn himself apart into paintings, he’d thought it was dramatic irony. This... this was dramatic irony. How very fitting that a man who could no longer support himself on his own talents, to have to stretch himself so thin...

“Creating duplicates is his specialty after all...” The young painter snarled under his breath. His leg still ached under his weight, and his head pounded in sync with his heart, but he’d never been more sure of anything before. 

“Geomon! Let us deal with that red one!” He called forth his Persona and locked eyes on the false version of his former teacher that had flames dancing around his feet. His specialty seemed to lay in Ice based magic, and ice would melt to water after all! 

“Carmen, we’ve got the blue one!” Panther took up his side, catching onto his idea and playing it in reverse. If that copy was using ice attacks like the frost around him would indicate, the blonde girls’ fires would be more than enough to evaporate the ice to nothing but steam, he was certain of it.

Mona and Skull each took up their own opponents, each taking the opposite of their own specialty as himself and Ann had, leaving the center, and presumably real Madarame, to their leader.

“Let’s end this!” She cried, calling forth her own Persona once more, that blazing demon of hellfire and revenge taking up his place at her back. Yusuke had been ready to end this since they’d gotten here.

As his temples thundered in rhythm with the pounding in his chest, Fox committed himself fully to this. They would defeat this monster who’d pulled the strings and had manipulated so many for so long! His former mentor, his teacher, his captor! his abuser!... His mothers murderer! They would expose him for all of his heinous acts! Every single one of them, on display like his grotesque exhibits of stolen profits!

\----

“N-No!”

Once he’d realized that his defeat was inevitable, the coward scrambled to escape. It had been a hard fought battle, not one of them walking away unscathed, but in the end, they had been victorious. The old man tripped over his own feet as he tried to gather his stolen painting and flee, but it was too late. The Phantom Thieves had him surrounded and with nowhere to go, the fraudster who dared call himself an artist was using his very Treasure as a shield from the angry gazes around him, his hands trembling as he tried in vain to defend himself.

“N-Noone really cares about TRUE art! All they want are easily recognizable brands! I’m a victim in this too! W-Wouldn’t you agree, Yusuke-kun?!”

“You’re making excuses now?” Skull scoffed from behind him, and Fox found himself agreeing. He called them vermin, but now that he was trapped in a corner like a rat in a cage, he was going belly up... despicable...

“The art world revolves around money!” Madarame insisted, his yellow eyes peering up into Yusuke’s own grey orbs. They reminded him of the same disgusting shade of gold that had been burned into their eyes all throughout this deprave museum of sin. 

“Yusuke-kun, you understand, don’t you?! Being a poor artist is truly miserable, is it not!? I couldn’t live like that! Not again!”

The very blood boiled in his veins and Yusuke couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward and grabbing this... this cretin! By the collar and spat directly into his face, “A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art!”

“You’re done for.” He vowed, glaring down at this pathetic excuse of a man, those golden eyes staring back in fear, “-along with this whole wretched world!”

“A-AH!!” Those golden eyes clenched tightly in fear, raising his hands defensively and dropping his mothers painting with a clatter. “No please! Just don’t kill me!”

Yusuke clenched his jaw and grit his teeth, and tossed the elderly man aside, like the trash he was. To kill him here would be to kill him in reality, if Yusuke understood correctly. There could be no retribution that way... “Return to yourself in reality, and confess to your crimes- all of them!”

“Y-You’re not going to kill me?”

“Swear it!” He bellowed, watching in a discomforting satisfaction as his former mentor flinched under his ire.

“A-Alright! Alright! I swear it!” He whimpered, before he glanced around at the faces of those who’d defeated him. “W-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?”

“Don’t try and fool us!” Skull cried, but something about it didn’t sit right with Yususke... What reason would he have to lie? And what could this mean? There had been another intruder in the Palace aside from them?

A deep rumbling in the very foundations was enough to nearly knock them off their feet, Yusuke widening his stance to help stabilize himself.

“We don’t have time for this!” There was a commotion from behind them and when Yusuke turned around, Morgana was nowhere to be seen, but a black and yellow striped van was idling and ready to go. “Get in!”

They couldn’t leave without the Treasure! That was the very reason they had come after all... Yusuke gathered up the gold framed portrait of his mother and turned to leave.

“W-Wait! Yusuke! Please tell me what I’m supposed to do now?” There was such an earnest desperation in the man's voice that reluctantly, Yusuke stopped to reply in the only way he knew how.

“....End this charade, and rely on the merits of your own art for once.” Like all true Artists must.

“Yusuke! Come on!” Panther cried, hanging out the open door and waving him down. The trembling of the earth became stronger, another earthquake wracking the ground and rattling the golden world around them. It was time to leave this hellscape behind for good...

“No, wait! Please! Yusuke! Yusuukeee!” 

Goodbye, Sensei.

\------------------------

“Hey, welcome ba-” The greeting stopped short in his throat as he looked up from his word search and nearly dropped his pencil at the sight before him.

Akiko had returned to the LeBlanc later than usual and every inch of her was radiating exhaustion. Her hair was messier than usual, with little visible effort put into taming the tangled raven locks. Entire chunks of it were sticking up at odd angles. There was a visible bruise along her jawline, fresh and swollen, glowing maroon in a colour that drew his eye like a bull to a cape.

His blood was boiling, but he restrained his temper for now. Best not to scare her, lest she clam up. He’d seen Futaba do it so many times herself, after all.

“What the hell happened to you, kid? You look like hell warmed over.” That was an understatement if he was being honest, but he didn’t want to just tell the teen she looked like dogshit itself. In his expert opinion, most women didn’t respond well to such blatant honesty. 

“I-...I’m fine.” She tried to offer, her voice soft and weak, gravely even? but he just wasn’t having it.

“Bullshit, the fuck happened to you?” He slammed his newspaper down and got to his feet, blocking her path to the back of the store. Sojiro had no intention of letting her retreat to her space until he got some answers as her guardian. It was his obligation to look after her while she was on probation, and he was going to do his job properly.

“Are you getting in trouble? Doing shit you shouldn’t be doing? Why the hell’s your hair so messed up and the fuck happened to your face? Someone hit you!?” Once he said it aloud it was like the last puzzle pieces slid into place. Someone hit her... Someone hit his attic brat.

“What happened?! Who hit you!? Are you alright?! The fuck happened-”

“Sojiro-san!” Akiko cut through his flurry of questions, looking just about as panicked as he felt inside. And possibly outside as well, he was sure he was more wide eyed and breathless than he wanted to be. 

“I’m fine. It’s just a bruise, it’ll go away in a few days...” She offered gently, as if he was the one with the walnut sized lump on his chin and not her! She’d have to go to school like that!

“That’s besides the point!” He snapped, brushing aside her dismissal, it wasn’t going to work like that with him! “Someone hit you!”

“It’s fine!” Akiko tried to protest, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake, trying to drive home the fact he wasn’t leaving until he had real answers.

“Why would someone hit you!? Are you getting into fights with your classmates!?” Or.. oh no..not that... “Have you been whoring yourself out!?”

“No!” She gasped in sharp denial, her already pale complexion losing even more colour, to a ghost like parlour. He could see the waters of anxious tears welling in the corners of her eyes, and that only raised his concern further. “I would never-!”

“Then what the hell happened to your face?!”

“I-I-!” She stammered, a tear or two falling beyond her control as she stammered to think of an excuse, the panic evident in her face.

“Have you been playing me for a fool this whole damn time!?”

“No!” She cried, a sob choking its way past her lips as she shook her head in denial, her messy locks whipping from side to side as she did. 

“Sojiro-san, please no!” Came the breathless, shaky plea. The teenager before him was struggling to compose herself, but her bottom lip kept trembling beyond her control and her chest heaved as she struggled to obtain consistent air. “I-I would never-! I respect you far too much-! I-! You-! I owe you so much, so-so-so much!”

“Then what the hell am I supposed to think, girl?!” He snapped, shaking her shoulders once more.

“I would never sell myself!” She sobbed, screaming back in his face before her face crumpled into ugly tears, as she gasped for air, her voice hitching pathetically on each dramatic inhale. His grip on her shoulders loosened and the two backed apart, the Cafe owner granting the young woman her space to breathe.

LeBlanc was silent, sans the sound of Akiko’s laboured breathing as she struggled to control herself once more, and regain her composure. Sojiro allowed her the courtesy, but most because he knew it would be easier to understand her when she wasn’t as hysterical as she had been.

After several long and awkward moments of watching the girl before him take several measured breaths in and out to steel herself, Sojiro felt comfortable enough to push again.

“I’d appreciate you not to lie to me, attic brat.” He sighed, speaking gently, but firmly. He sympathized with her, but he still needed answers. “You’ve been arrested for underage prostitution, for Christ sake, you’re on probation. I know it’s not beyond your realm of possibility.”

“But I...I didn’t...” Whatever else she’d said was lost in a series of mumbles that went unheard by Sojiro.

“I’m sorry? You didn’t do what?”

“I never did what the record said.” Akiko repeated, raising her voice and enunciating her words. She spoke in a clearer tone, but she refused to meet his gaze, grey eyes locked firmly on the tile and the space between their feet. 

“I never... I never did...that... He lied to them about everything and they just-.... They didn’t even ask me-! They just believed him!” Her voice grew more and more hysterical with every word until the tears were back, streaming freely down his wards face once more and she was gasping through the sobs. Her knees trembled and she sunk to the floor in tears. “H-He tried to pull me into his car and they just- they just believed him over me! No questions asked!”

Her words echoed throughout his head and made the hairs on the back of his arms stand up.

Jesus Christ....

Just what on earth was he getting involved in?

Sojiro really really should have just hung up that damn phone when he’d gotten that call...

It was with a heavy sigh that he helped the teenager to her feet and shuffled her towards to barstool seating. "Common kid... You gotta ice that, or it'll be twice that size come morning..."

He could let her off the hook for now... For now, he had a child to take care of...

\------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, upon retrospect, I wasn't exactly in love with the previous chapter, but it accomplished it's purpose so...  
> 乁( •_• )ㄏ it is what it is I guess.  
> I hope people find this chapter more enjoyable.  
> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧
> 
> Also, a small amendment to the previous chapters end note. I made mention that I'd be turning 28. Time is nothing but a nebulous concept and it appears I have been mistaken, as I will actually be turning 29 in a few days. What the fuck is life, actually? How did I even get here?
> 
> Anyway, please comment and kudos if you feel so inclined! I would love to hear everyone's feedback and opinions.
> 
> Next time of Rolling Girl; Confidants, baby!


	20. *Rewritten* Chapter 20: Ann, Ryuji, Iwai...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confidants, Confidants, Confidants, Confidants and what's this?! Even more Confidants baby!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is Chapter 20 again. Yes I deleted and reposted a chapter. I as an author wasn't happy with what I had posted, so with the help of my wonderful Beta-reader Anon, we put together a chapter that I certainly feel better about, and I hope every else does too.
> 
> Also! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈) Big round of applause for Anon!  
> Thank you so so so much for agreeing to Beta for me! You've been a prolific commenter and I've always appreciated your input. I look forward to working with you closely on future chapters!

Chapter 20: Ann, Ryuji, Iwai, Kawakami, Yoshizawa.

\--

Kawakami-sensei had just finished explaining the basic details of the clean up event next week to her class when Ann felt her phone vibrate from within her pocket. With a swift motion, Ann moved her cell from her coat pocket to her lap, and unlocked the screen with a simple scan of her fingerprint.

A quick glance at the notification confirmed it was Ryuji blowing up the newest group chat that he’d put together the night before. He argued that while it was true that Yusuke was without a question a member of their friend group, it would make sense for the students who went to Shujin to have a group chat that they could use exclusively for school related stuff. That way Yususke didn’t have to sift through slogs of messages that had nothing to do with him.

Everyone had agreed it was a decent idea, and Ryuji had created said group chat with little fanfare. It had remained dormant for maybe a grand total of ten hours before Ryuji was using it to text during class. 

Ann had honestly expected five, so good on him for holding back?

 **Ryuji:** You guys hear about this cleanup bullshit at Inokashira park?

He must have had the same lecture from his own homeroom teacher.

 **Ryuji:** Betcha it’s the Principal’s idea. Damage control after Kamoshida scandled up the school’s rep.

 **Ann:** Pretty sure ‘scandal’s not a verb.

It was no wonder that the boy had placed so low on his exams, with grammar like that. Japanese wasn’t even her first language and she spoke it better than the native speaking bleach blonde did. Maybe all those chemicals were seeping into his brain? Still though, he had a point...

 **Ann:** But I get what you mean. Even the counseling stuff seems like a desperate move.

 **Akiko:** ‘Scandal’ is technically a noun.

 **Ryuji:** It’s all annoying!

 **Ryuji:** All the girls in our class have been freaking out over this new guy too.

 **Ryuji:** I’m so sick of hearing ‘Maruki’s so hot!’ ‘Maruki’s so kind!’ ‘Maruki’s so sensitive!’ Every girl here thinks he’s their type!

 **Ann:** I’ve heard some of the girls in our class say the same thing. He’s pretty popular.

She could sort of understand it? The guy was decent enough looking she supposed, and he was a good listener. She’d walked away from their chat feeling like a weight had been lifted from her chest, and wasn’t really surprised to hear that other students had had similar reactions. He was a welcomed relief after the kind of teacher Kamoshida had been, but he wasn’t Ann’s type, at the end of the day.

**Ann: **Ryuji, have you gone to his counseling yet? It’s mandatory for us, remember?****

********

********

**Ryuji:** Oh shit, I totally forgot.

 **Ryuji:** But, I dunno.... I don’t really feel like going. Aki gets it right?

 **Ann:** Akiko’s already gone to his counseling? And you’re helping him with a project or something, right?

 **Akiko:** He’s really talkative for a counselor, and he doesn’t push for answers.

 **Akiko:** And he has good snacks.

Okay, so Ann could also agree on that. His collection of snacks was vast and his tea was delicious. It did certainly add to the level of comfort and familiarity the Doctor tried to foster in his office, now that she thought about it. Could that have been a deliberate choice on his part?

 **Ryuji:** Wait, hold on, really?

 **Ann:** You should just go already. 

**Ann:** If your slacking draws attention to us, we’re the ones who’ll have to pay for it.

 **Ryuji:** Fiiiiiine. I’ll go after class today if it’ll get you off my ass about it!

 **Ann:** It will!

 **Ann:** Have fun~!

\---

“Aki-chan!” 

Ann smiled as she turned in her chair to face her friend, twisting her body completely around and kneeling in her chair as to face Akiko fully. The raven haired girl was in the process of packing up her school supplies, gathering up her things for the day. She paused for a moment, giving Ann a light hum of acknowledgement before returning to her packing. Ann noted that she was keeping her head low, probably in an attempt to keep the bruise on her face hidden from their classmates. Did she not have any cover up or foundation to try and hide it? The center section of the swollen strip along her jawline was a deep purple, while the outer ridge of it was a sickly greenish-yellow that made Ann wince. She had her own bumps and bruises and scrapes, but thankfully they were all hidden beneath her clothes or make-up without much effort.

“Do you wanna go to the park with me today?” The model posed to her friend, keeping her pondering to herself. She knew that the other girl often spent her freetime after school with Ryuji, but the boy was going to counseling with Doctor Maruki after class today, so now it was Ann’s turn to spend some one-on-one time with the new student at Shujin Academy.

That was, of course, if Akiko wanted to spend time with her as well. She hoped so...

Ann realized that she hadn’t been the most available of friends as of late. She’d been looking back through the group chat the night before and was really upset with herself to see how many times she’d turned down opportunities to hang out because she had made other plans. Don’t get her wrong, Ann was still in fact very glad that she’s spent that time with Shiho, but...

She didn’t want to neglect her other friends in the process! There had to be a way for her to balance all of her relationships, right? She could pursue a more... intimate relationship with Shiho, and still be a good friend to her teammates at the same time.

“I had an idea for training that I wanted your help with!”

“Training?” That seemed to catch the other girl's attention, as she paused her movements completely, giving her full attention to Ann. Ann smiled back and nodded firmly.

“Yup-yup!” She grinned, leaning forward over the back of her chair, practically crawling onto Akiko’s desk in overly excited joy. “I see from the group chat that you and Ryuji have been training and I don’t wanna be left behind! I need to get stronger too after all.”

Not that Ann wanted to bulk up, she technically had her image to keep in mind, what with her modeling job after all, but she’d been thinking about it for a while and she had an idea on how to make herself stronger that she couldn’t wait to get started. It was like Morgana had said yesterday, the Metaverse, the Palaces and Mementos? They were all based on a person's cognition, right? So if she was to change her own cognition? It was fool proof!

“Come on! I’ll explain everything once we get to the park! It’s a beautiful day out and I wanna enjoy the sun, don’t you?” Ann pressed, practically bouncing in her seat in excitement.

“O-okay, sure...” Akiko caved, smiling softly as she finished packing up her things, standing from her desk as Ann too got to her feet.

Yes! Ann nearly squealed in joy. Finally some girl time!

\---

“Mmm!” The sun was warm against her skin as it peeked through the treeline, the rays scattering against her face as they filtered through the leafy canopy above. “I love days like these! Summer’s just around the corner I can feel it!”

Akiko gave another affirmative hum from behind her, the other girl was trailing just behind Ann who’d, admittedly, rushed forward once they’d made it to the park’s entrance. But she couldn’t help it!

“I love big open spaces like these.” She explained, turning and walking backwards so that she could face Akiko properly. If the other girl wasn’t going to catch up to her, then Ann would just slow down for her instead! Come to think of it, hadn’t Akiko taken more of a beating than Ann had in the fight yesterday? Ann slowed her pace all together until she was side by side with Akiko and linked arms with the other girl so they could walk in tandem at a pace that was comfortable for the both of them.

“You like parks, Ann-chan?” Akiko asked, seemingly unphased by Ann’s blase attitude towards physical contact between friends. Between herself and Ryuji, it wasn’t surprising that she was acclimating to it, Ann supposed. It was odd to think that it was only last month that she’d been trying to corner Akiko in the courtyard and tell her off for god-knows-what, Ann could hardly even remember anymore, it felt like it had been a lifetime ago.

“Hmmhmm!” She beamed in reply to Akiko’s gentle inquiry. “Even before we moved to Tokyo, my family lived in a pretty big city, maybe even bigger than here?” She couldn’t remember which city was technically bigger, Tokyo or Helsinki, but to be fair, she hadn’t lived in Helsinki since she was eleven, and she hadn’t seen any part of Finland since she was just a little kid. She’d like to go back some day...see what’s changed from her childhood... Had the world changed just as much as she had?

“They had parks sure, but none of them had parks like this!” She explained, gesturing to the large body of water to the right hand side of the trail as they walked deeper and deeper into Inokashira park, Ann leading the way down a familiar path. She knew a spot not too far from here that was lovely! The two could sit on a bench and enjoy the calm and comforting atmosphere while they trained.

“I like parks like this because they feel so disconnected, you know?” She continued, noting that Akiko was remaining silently, patiently listening for more clarification on her response. “It feels like we stepped through a gateway to a whole other world, it’s like the city is a million miles away. Kinda like the Metaverse, only we don’t have to worry about fighting monsters!”

Her and Akiko shared a laugh which divulged into a giggle fit as they accidentally hip checked each other, moving to the side of the path to avoid a bike rider coming in the opposite direction. Ann felt her cheeks begin to ache from all the smiling. She missed this... She hadn’t felt this good since the last time her and Shiho had gone shopping together.

It didn’t take them long to find Ann’s preferred spot, and once Akiko took a seat on the beach, carefully adjusting her skirt so as to not wrinkle it beneath her, Ann began to explain her plan to her friend.

“Okay, so, do you remember how I said I wanted to strengthen my heart?” Akiko offered a slightly confused look in return. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed, head tilting to the side like a puppy hearing a strange noise for the first time. Had Ann only thought about texting Akiko about her plan instead of actually texting Akiko about it? Oh nevermind, it didn’t matter, they were here now! “-Well, I came up with a way to do it!”

“How so?” Akiko asked, and Ann appreciated that their leader didn’t call her on her mistake and just rolled with it. It was part of what made her such a good leader, after all. She was adaptable!

“So, I think that the definition of having a strong heart is that you don’t let anything get under your skin.” Like Akiko! She was so coolheaded and even-tempered all the time. Or that female villain in her guilty pleasure anime... The heroes would call them all kinds of nasty things, which admittedly she deserved, but she’d come back with some witty quip, like they couldn’t be fazed by some jerks mere words! Ann wanted to be that strong... that confident!

“So, basically, I want you to say stuff to me and I’m gonna try my best not to get fazed by it!”

“...w-what kind of stuff?” Akiko asked, tilting her head once more, that look of confusion back on her face. Cute, but Ann wasn’t going to be fazed!

“We’ve already started!” She declared, firmly taking her stance. This was her new battle ground and she was an immovable tower! An impenetrable defense against Akiko’s soon to be verbal onslaught! “I won’t let that hesitation shake me!”

“...” When her raven haired friend offered her nothing, Ann offered her a bright smile. It wasn’t like Ann would get mad at her for anything she said! Like, seriously! Ann had been the one to suggest this method of training after all!

“C’mon!” She teased, offering the seated girl a playful wink, trying to coax her into at least trying Ann’s idea. “Hit me with your best shot!”

“...You’re an airhead?” It came out more of a question than anything, like the dark haired teen was trying to see if that was what the blonde wanted to hear.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! And!?” Yes! Akiko was getting it! Maybe she wasn’t speaking with the passion or the conviction that Ann had pictured in her head, but it was a start! Acting was hard after all, maybe it just wasn’t for Aki-chan?

“...can we stop this?” Oooh! Yes! Much better! While it was soft, and still much too hesitant to actually shake her firm foundation, it was a much better attempt than before. Ann could almost hear a disdain in her tone? Fantastic!

“Uh-huh, uh-huh!” She nodded, ready for anything now! Hit her with it, Aki-chan! In her overzealous joy, Ann jumped into the empty stop next to Akiko on the bench, kneeling on the wooden seat, nearly bouncing up and down in anticipation. “What else?”

Hit her with your worst shot Aki-chan! Whatever it was, Ann could take it-

“I love you.” 

...

Wait what?

...!?!?

“W-wait, what!?” Ann stammered, face turning red at the other girl’s confession. Her train of thought had been completely derailed by the pure sincerity of the other girl’s tone. The way she’d twisted in her seat to face Ann directly and was staring her down with such intensity!

The growing smirk that was over taking the corner of her cherry blossom lips-!

“T-That’s cheating!” Ann squealed loudly, turning even more red in the face. Her head spinning from the blood rush as she swatted at the other girl's shoulder repeatedly, Akiko, now stifling her laughter into the back of her hand, unable to keep up the charade for longer than she already had. “Akiii! You’re disqualified!”

“S-Sorry, sorry!” Akiko giggled, doing nothing to block Ann’s barrage of hands, not even leaning aside. Good! She deserved it! “I was just kidding! S-Sorry!”

“Don’t joke about stuff like that!” She really had Ann going for a second there! Her face was still hot and her pulse was fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest. It wasn’t that Ann necessarily had romantic feelings for the other girl, but it was startling how much she reminded her of Shiho at times... Would that be how Ann would feel if...when- if, Shiho were to confess back? 

“Uugh, this wasn’t how the game was supposed to go!” She sighed heavily, ending her barrage of attacks for now, adjusting her sitting arrangement until she was sitting properly in her seat, sinking deep into the unforgiving wooden planks. She was supposed to be strengthening her Persona... not...daydreaming about her raging girl crush...

“T-To be fair,” Akiko offered, calming herself from her laughter, even if the smile was still evident in her voice, “I don’t think that that game was going to help strengthen your heart anyway...”

“Yeah... you’re right.” Ann sighed. “I just-” 

Ann’s train of thought was interrupted once again, but this time it was from her cell phone making an alert notification noise from her jacket pocket. Who could-? Oh. Shoot.

“I just got an email from my agency.” She explained quickly, apologizing for paying attention to her phone, rather than her friend. “My next shoot is... really far... wait, what’s this? ‘Pay extra attention to the time and place they tell you?’ Huh... guess they’ve been having issues with models not showing up at all recently. Ugh, I feel bad for the poor staffers. It’s always so confusing getting last minute subs.”

“Is that common?” Akiko asked, glancing over at Ann’s screen to get a glance at the email on her phone. She tilted her phone to the side so that the curious girl could get a better view. It wasn’t like she had anything to hide after all.

“Not for me! I haven’t missed a single shoot so far!” It was something that Ann prided herself on to be sure! “But, my first modeling gig was as a sub! It was back when I still lived in Finland. My Mom didn’t have enough models for her event, so my dad tailored some of the dresses to fit me and I did my first Couture event when I was eight years old.”

“Couture?” Akiko parroted back, looking confused once again.

“Didn’t you know? Both my parents are fashion designers! They’re pretty big, they do a lot of seriously extravagant shows.” She would have thought for sure Aki would have heard about that by now, but then again... She guessed that the majority of the most recent rumors had probably been about her and Kamoshida and less about her parents' fame and social status. 

Well, it was nice to know that their friendship hadn’t been based on that, she supposed. There had been a few girls who’d started sucking up to Ann once they realized that her parents were in the industry, so to know that that wasn’t even on Akiko’s radar was comforting.

“They’re always jumping from country to country, so I only ever really see them for half the year.”

“...must be nice.” Akiko mumbled softly, and if she thought about it, Ann supposed it was a pretty good deal for her. 

“Yeah, I guess I can afford to be pretty relaxed these days. It would probably be really tough being a Phantom Thief with my parents around, huh?” To have to explain her bumps and bruises... Coming home so late and so tired all the time? No thank you. That was an awkward conversation that Ann wanted no part in.

“It was tough when I was little, when it was just me and the live-in caretaker... She left last year actually... I argued that once I turned sixteen, I didn’t need a nanny anymore, and my Dad agreed. Mom wasn’t the biggest fan of that choice, but I’m practically a grown-up now.” Plus, she’d never really been a fan of the woman. She’d tried to treat Ann like her own child, which, while probably for the right reasons, was not what Ann had wanted. She’d wanted her own mother, not some paid replacement mom.

“Honestly, when I’m modeling... I feel like I’m connecting with my parents somehow.” Like, she was that little girl strutting down the walkway once again. “It’s a nice hobby to have, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I want to make a living out of it. I mean... that’s how Kamoshida spotted me in the first place.... And how our class started those rumors...”

Oh crap, this was getting dark quickly Ann! Change the conversation! Don’t be a downer!

“Besides! The Phantom Thieves are the most important thing to me right now! No one can be my substitute on the team, so that's why I need to get stronger!” 

And she would get stronger! Maybe today’s attempt at training had been a bust, but it wasn’t completely wasted time. She’d spent some wonderful time with her friend and had heard her really laugh for the first time! She felt like her and Akiko were becoming closer friends and that was certainly something to be pleased about!

All in all, a successful failure was better than just a failure, right?

\------------------

Well, it was a few days later than planned, but once Ryuji made a plan he followed through with it! Even if that plan was as simple as working out at the gym with a friend.

“Here we are! Protein Lovers Gym!” He announced as he and Akiko approached the tiny entrance way, hidden off from the main street down a side alley in Shibuya. “It’s pay per visit so you don't gotta worry about any bullshit contracts or nothing! I mean, the equipment is a little crappy, but they got tons of variety, plus it’s like really damn cheap. Totally worth it, even without a pool or a hot tub. Oh yeah, you bring your stuff?” He had to ask.

“...Protein powder?” Akiko asked, from behind him, and he offered her a grin. Heck yeah! That was the right mindset!

“Yeah totally, if you wanna beef up you totally gotta- wait, no, that ain’t it!” Hadn’t she remembered what he’d told her last time? It was the most important part of working out at a gym! “I’m talking spare undies, dude! Getting back into sweaty clothes after having a nice hot shower is like the grossest goddamn thing, no joke.”

“...I’ll be okay...” Was all the girl had to offer, fixing him with a deadpan expression that Ryuji just rolled his eyes at.

“Alright! Let's head in!” Oh well, not his problem if she didn’t take him seriously! He was going to have a nice clean, dry set of boxer briefs to slide his junk back into after a shower. If she wanted to shove a sweat covered thong back up her buttcrack, or whatever it was girls did, it wasn’t his problem.

With the boy leading the way, they headed inside and after a brief exchange with the man behind the desk, Ryuji paid for his hour, grabbed his key and headed off towards the men's locker room. He could hear Akiko do the same behind him, and he turned to offer her a wave before they each went into their respective change rooms.

The bleach blonde teen quickly slipped out of his school uniform and into his spare set of gym clothes. He locked his possession in the locker, used the key he’d been given to lock to the locker shut, and wandered out into the small gym space.

It was pretty much exactly as Ryuji remembered. Cramped, poorly lit, and stinking of sweat and body odor, but it was a place to workout without anyone bothering them, so it would have to do. He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together with an audible slap. Oh yeah. This was just what he was looking forward to!

“What’s that smell?” Akiko's voice came from behind him and he wiped around to answer her question.

“That, my friend, is the smell of determination and achievement!” He answered with a grin.

“It smells like moldy feet.” She shot back easily, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Ryuji couldn’t help that barking laugh that ripped out of his chest. That was one way to describe it! He would have gone with a sweaty ballsack himself, but he guessed that Akiko might not be super familiar with that particular brand of funk.

“Same thing really, come on!” He laughed, shoving her gently towards the work out equipment that was waiting for them. “We only have an hour, so let’s get started!”

\---

Ryuji had been running on the treadmill for the past quarter of an hour and he. was. dying! The muscles in his legs were burning, his joints creaking dangerously and his lungs couldn’t get fresh air fast enough, but despite all of that, he felt good.

“Phew... My forms’ coming back, but I just dont got any stamina....” He wheezed, as he turned off the machine to give himself a water break. He grabbed his cloth and his bottle of water and gave his face a quick wipedown of any excess sweat before he took a heavy chug from his water bottle, tipping his head back and sucking until the plastic sides of the bottle touched each other. “Ahhh!” He sighed in relief, the cool water like a magic spell on his parched throat.

“How are you doin’ Aki?” The runner asked, turning his attention to the girl who’d chosen to spend her time not on the treadmill, but on the rowing machine to his right hand side, just two machines down the line.

They’d been going at it for nearly half an hour now, and it seemed that Akiko was feeling the pressure too. They’d been at the gym for nearly half an hour now, the first quarter of an hour spent stretching and trying to lift weights before they both decided to spend some time on separate machines. 

In that time, Akiko had snuck back into the women's locker and retrieved a black hair tie, wrangling her dark messy locks into some form of an updo, maybe a bun? Ryuji didn’t know hair style names... Whatever it was, he was surprised that she hadn’t done it sooner. Didn’t girls hate getting hair in their face while they worked out? Why hadn’t she done it before, during all of their runs? Whatever. Not his place to comment on it really.

But he had to admit...a part of him wished she’d do it more often.

Now that her hair was up and off her neck, Ryuji was shocked at the difference it made. Since when was the angle on her jawline so sharp? Had her neck always looked so slender?

Speaking of her neck.... Ryuji couldn’t help it as his eyes traced along the curve of her spine, as she bent forward at the waist, going through the repetitive motions of the row machine. Crouching down, pressing herself into a ball at the beginning of the track, before extending her long, slender legs fully, pulling at the cord and leaning back with the force of the effort exuded.

She’d set her jumpsuit jacket aside, now a crumbled red pile on the floor next to her own water bottle and sweat cloth. With her bare arms exposed, it was easy to see the nasty yellow bruise that took up quite a bit of real estate on the girl’s arm. Massive crescent shaped marks that hugged the crook of her elbow. As she continued to flex and extend that arm, Ryuji could see that it was obviously teeth marks, on a massive scale. Guilt twisted in his gut for a moment as he recalled the moment that painting had pushed past his and Mona’s line of defense... He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Obviously she was healing, they all were, the fight had been days ago at this point, but still... There was something about the sight of her pale flesh covered in green and yellow bruising that made his chest tight and uncomfortable.

With the bulky fabric of her gym jacket in the way, Ryuji was instead free to observe the way the muscles in her shoulders worked, hunching forward into smooth delicate planes before flexing back into gentle curves of strength... 

She was covered in a fine layer of sweat that had the tight white fabric of her shirt clinging to her back like a second skin, and his eyes were instantly drawn down the curved expanse of her spin, lingering of the band of black fabric wrapped around her torso that was now visible, thanks to the thinness of her gym shirt.

W-was he still dehydrated? H-He needed some more water...

“Sakamoto?”

Ryuji nearly choked on the mouthful of water that he’d desperately been gulping down when a familiar voice cut through his internal monologue and thankfully turned his attention anywhere other than his friends' startlingly alluring form. Seriously- what? Since when had Akiko, Akiaki of all girls, caught his eye like that? He needed to spend some time with some real girls, sheesh! He couldn’t be getting that desperate, right?

“Ikeda-senpai! What’s bonkin’?”

Ikeda-senpai laughed, shaking his head a little in amusement. “Bonkin’?” He repeated, chuckling over the word. “You say the weirdest things sometimes, Sakamoto-kun. Is that really how you say Hi to an old friend?”

“Hehe!” He laughed easily, because Ikeda-senpai was in college now, right? He was becoming an ‘influential man’ and all that shit! “I’ve been tryin’ to come up with some cool new slang. Maybe you’ll help me spread the word, senpai?” Now that he was learned and crap!

“You can’t just make up new words, Sakamoto!” Ikeda laughed, his words lacking any heat. “And cut it out with the Senpai stuff, I’ve already graduated, remember?”

The college student’s gave shifted from Ryuji to just over his shoulder, and Ryuji twisted to follow his gaze. Akiko was no longer on the rowing machine, and was now on her feet, wiping the sweat from her brow and glancing between the two boys from just behind her friend.

“Oh hey, I haven’t seen you before. You on the track team too or...are you his girlfri-?”

Ryuji quickly cut him off before he could make any more assumptions about their relationship. Not another one! Sheesh! “Her? Oh no! She’s uh, she’s just a friend, that’s all! She’s a new transfer student!”

“Hmhmmm. Just friends.” Akiko agreed, nodding her head. As she did so, a large chunk of messy locks came spilling down from the cluster on the top of head and practically thunked over her shoulder. She hardly seemed to care, making no acknowledgement of the change to her do. 

“Besides, by the time she showed up, the track team was already...you know...” Ryuji shrugged, kicking at the dirty floor, his shoe shuffling against the linoleum.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s your leg doing?” Ikeda asked, a look of concern taking over his face and it was so honest, so heartfelt, that Ryuji had to change the subject. He didn’t deserve such care...

“Eh, I’m managin’. But enough about me Senpai, how about you? You still runnin’?”

The two continued to talk and catch up, the time remaining for their session in the gym forgotten.

\----

“Moshi moshi?” Akiko’s voice cut through the ringing over his phone speaker. He’d hit the speakerphone option once he’d gotten into his empty apartment, grateful that his mom was working late tonight. He could order out for dinner and she couldn’t give him any grief over being too lazy to make dinner. He knew she didn’t mean it, but he was too tired to cook! Not only had he and Akiko gone pretty hard at the gym today, they’d only just stolen Madarame’s painting just a few days ago. He was still fairly worn out from that fight, that was to say the least.

“Yo! What’s bonkin’?” The more he used it, the more it would catch on right?

“Nothing much, just got back to the Cafe.” Akiko replied, not even phased by his use of his new vernaculum. She just rolled with it. Ryuji grinned. That was something that he appreciated about her. 

“So, anyway, I was thinking on the train home and... I just can’t really be happy about the track team startin’ up again. Not when there's something fishy about that Yamauchi.”

“...Replacing one abusive coach with another isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Right!?” Thank god he wasn’t the only one who thought this was a bad idea! It was like the school wasn’t even trying to get better! Knowing them, they probably weren't... “But I mean, if anything does happen, I know you got my back, so ain't too worried!”

“Hmmhmm. I’m here if you need me.”

“Thanks, man! I knew I could count on you dude!” Ryuji sighed as he flopped onto the couch with a thump. There was a reason he’d called Akiko. She always knew just what to say to make him feel better. 

“That being said, we don’t know for sure that anything sketchy’s goin’ on...I just have this gut feelin’ and I’ve learned to trust my gut, you know? Anyway! If I hear anything, I’ll keep you posted! Talk to you later, ‘kay?” His stomach was growling and he should probably get to order his dinner if he wanted it to show up soon.

“...’kay. Have a good night, Ryuji.” 

“Night Akiaki! Sleep tight!”

\--------------------------

“Yo.” He grunted, offering the girl a nod of the head as she made her way into the shop.

“G-Good evening. Your message said you had some work for me tonight?” So she was a straight to the point kinda gal? He liked that. Iwai rolled the lollipop in his mouth from one side to the other, letting the hard candy clack against the back of his teeth as he did. The taste of overly sweet artificial strawberry was nearly tart on his tongue. He had the teenager's number saved in his phone under the name “Part-Timer” and because of that he’d forgotten the teen's name, but he had no intention of asking again. ‘Part-Timer’ was a good enough name for the kid after all. He knew he'd asked for it for her paper work, and could double check if he needed, but hey, he didn't need to.

No need to get more attached than he needed to after all.

“Got a new shipment of models. Need you to put together the displays for me.” The quicker she got started, the quicker she’d get done. The quicker she got done, the quicker he could pay her and send her on her way. He needed to work on his own projects for his...special...customers, but at least he could get some emails and online orders handled.

“Got the stack here.” He slapped a hand on top of the stack of boxes that he’d set aside for her. It was nearly as tall as the desk, when stacked one on top of the other from the ground up. A decent chunk of work for the girl to deal with that he wouldn’t have to, so he’d take the hit to his wallet later when he’d need to hand it over to his newest employee. 

“New stock?” She asked, moving deeper into the shop, hesitantly slipping behind the desk. He’d taken the spare folding chair from his office and had sat it up next to him. The teenager slipped into the seat and he pushed the sticker covered toolbox across the glass countertop in her direction. 

“Yeah, whole new batch of-everything.” He grunted, cracking his neck as he rolled his shoulders and pulled open his list of waiting orders. Shit, when had it reached the doubled digits? Fuuuck, what a pain...He hit the print button and the printer sprang to life behind him, spewing one order sheet after the other.

The girl flipped open the tool kit, fumbling with the latch for a moment before it gave up under her thin fingers. She quickly found the exacto blade and got to work cutting the edges of the first box at the start of her workload. The blade gilded across the underseam of the box lid, tearing through the plastic wrap as if it were nothing.

“Garbage can is down here.” He grunted, giving the plastic bin a nudge with his foot and she got the hint and tossed the garbage aside.

The two got into work, the messy haired girl meticulously breaking the plastic pieces out of their molds one at a time before sorting them into groups based on their size and groupings. She set the instructions in front of her and gathered up recommended tools from the collection of instruments and odds and ends that he knew also floated around in that plastic box.

He let her get to work as he got to his own work. 

\---

Well shit! That had been a productive night of work! He’d actually managed to finish getting all the orders prepped and the only thing left was to actually pack them into boxes and send them on their way. 

The girl had done her own impressive stack of work. Out of the stack of ten new products, she’d assembled four of them completely and had made a decent bit of progress on the fifth one, having built the frame-work, which was the most important part. He’d honestly only expected her to get two of them done in the handful of hours he’d asked her to set aside for him, but she’d blown his expectations out of the water.

“Here, kid,” He handed over the stack of cash over to the kid. “Good work tonight.”

While it wasn’t a huge sum of money, he felt it was a decent amount for four hours of detailed work. He may have added an extra ten thousand yen note in there as a bonus, but if she didn’t say anything about it, he had no intention of mentioning it to her. 

The teenager took the money, counted the bills quickly, muttering numbers under her breath, before she nodded slightly, and offered him the stack of cash back. 

“Huh? The hell you doin’? That’s yours, kid.” He grunted, crossing his arms so that she couldn’t just shove it into his hands or anything ridiculous like that.

“I want to buy some of the new stock.” She clarified, her eyes sliding down to the models that she'd already put together. “What’s my staff discount again? I was hoping to pick up the Replica AR and the new shotgun at least, but if I have enough for the pistol, I’d like that too...”

Wait seriously? Iwai nearly threw his head back and laughed. The girl was gonna turn around and just spend her whole paycheck here!? Well fuck, he aint gonna complain!

“Take ‘em kid.” He snatched the money back out of her hands and in exchange he gathered up the boxes that she’d requested, passing the plastic covered parcels over to his part-timer. “Shit kid, should I just pay you in store credit? You gotta get a second job or something? What happened to needing cash?”

“I...I’ll think of something.” Iwai raised a brow at the teen, as she muttered out a half hearted reply, her brow pinching in thought.

“Why not a maid cafe?” His mouth moved before he could stop himself from vocalizing the thought as it crossed his head.

“Maid cafe?” The girl frowned and with a heavy sigh, Iwai rubbed the back of his neck. He fished a fresh lollipop out of his coat pocket and tore off the wrapper, not paying attention to the colour as he shoved it into his mouth. Ugh, Orange. Whatever. At least it wasn’t lime.

“An old buddy of mine runs one not too far from here. He’s always looking for hard workers.” Chu was a decent guy. Tough and burly on the outside, sure, but deep down the guy had a heart of gold and was one of the few folks who’d also left the ‘lifestyle’ behind that actually managed to make something of his life. Iwai and him often shared drinks on the weekend and the former bodybuilder turned maid cafe owner would always bitch and complain about how it was so hard to find girls that actually wanted to work and weren’t just there for an easy paycheck. He wanted people who cared for his business as much as he cared for his business. Iwai sort of understood, even if the restaurant looked like Hello Kitty threw up after eating too much glitter and strawberry jello. Too fucking Kawaii for his taste.

“Do something about that bird’s nest you call hair, you’ll be cute enough to get decent tips.” 

“Tips?” The girl frowned harder, tilting her head to the side, but not dismissing the idea, Iwai noted. He still remembered the address of that place right? He hadn’t been in ages, honestly.... “Doesn’t he pay well?”

“He pays plenty good, it’s just that the place is a kinda tourist trap and foreigners tip.” He explained, knowing that the concept wasn’t something that most Japanese workers would be familiar with, but it could be pretty lucrative if she played her cards right.

“Last I heard his starting rate was fifteen thousand yen an hour?” That was two hundred yen above his own hourly wage, and nearly six hundred yen above minimum wage. That plus tips? Girl would be a fool not to at least look into it.

“Tell you what,” he offered, as pulling out his phone and pulled up his contacts list, scrolling through his very minimal amount of saved numbers. “I’ll message my guys’ number to you, and I’ll message him that he should give you an interview.”

He wasn’t really sure why he was offering to play networker for his Part-Timer, but hey, if this would get Chu to shut the fuck up about that Misa-Misa bitch come next Sunday, it might just be worth it.

\--------------------------

What a damn pain!

Her first call of the night had either turned out to be a kidnapping gone wrong or just a prank call, because once she’d gotten to the right apartment, she’d let herself after knocking and having no one answer and there had been literally nobody else inside the apartment! Kawakami had been so freaked out that after checking every room, just to make sure it wasn’t some elder man who’d fallen, she’d run out of there like a bat out of hell. 

In her efforts to escape her potential untimely murder, her pantyhose had gotten torn on the end of the railing as she scrambled to get out of the apartment complex before whoever had called her changed their minds and dragged her back inside for who knows what sinister plans had been in store for her. Sadayo felt like a child to say it, but she was so certain that someone had been watching her while she was in there. She could feel the eyes racking over her and it made her skin crawl. The apartment may have been empty, but she hadn't been alone in there, Sadayo was certain of it.

Now not only had she wasted her time and missed out on a potential client that might have actually paid, but now she also had to go buy more pantyhose! She was supposed to be making money with this job, not spending it! This is why Victoria’s needed to take a retainer commission before they sent the girls out, like all the proper companies did! Ones that actually gave a shit about their girls...

Uuuugh She just wanted to go home already. Take a nice hot bath, drink some wine, eat some food, sleep... yeah... that sounded perfect...

But unfortunately she couldn’t go that right now. Maybe making any money tonight was impossible, but tomorrow was another night after all, and a Saturday night! Those were usually her best nights, after all. Well, if Sadayo was going to pick up some new pantyhose for her maid job, she might as well stop by the store and stock up on the products she was low on. Wig caps, false eyelashes, that highlighter she liked... May as well get some new petticoats to make her skirts fluffier while she was there? 

Well, thankfully she knew one store in particular that had all that stuff, and more. It was in Shibuya thankfully, not too far off the main road. It didn’t take her long to flag down a taxi and once she paid the fare, ugh just another expense she had to deal with, Sadayo was entering ‘Line and Lace’, the maid supplies store that nearly every girl who worked for her company went to, and she was certain that many others did too. It was practically the maid’s emporium when it came to dresses and make-up and accessories after all.

“Welcome~!” The girl behind the counter chirped as Kawakami entered the store. God she looked so young. Was she even allowed to be working here? If the other girl looked that young, how old did Sadayo look? Ugh she didn’t want to think about it, she already felt old, she didn’t want to look it too! Maybe they had some anti-aging cream in the make-up department? Or maybe some brightening face maks? The bags under her eyes were starting to get really dark...

She gathered up the pale pastel pink showing cart, seriously, did they have to be such an obnoxious colour? Sadayo understood it was part of the theme, but come on, custom shopping carts were too much, and quickly made her way deeper into the store. Passed the various mannequins draped in black and white and lace, dresses of every classic maid fashion on display, stopping briefly to pick up a pair of underskirts because there was a deal, buy one get one, Sadayo wasn’t doing to pass that up, and making her way towards the leggings section.

She’d been to ‘Line and Lace’ enough times to know the layout like the back of her hand and which brands were the best deals, so she quickly gathered up what she needed, tossing four or five different packages of the same style of pantyhose into her shopping cart before quickly moving on, following the designed flow of the store with a practiced eases, her mary jane heels clicking against the bubblegum pink and white tiles.

The make-up section was full of the new spring collections and she ended up spending more time than she’d like to admit looking over the different colours of lip tint. Peach Parfette...or Cherry Blossom kiss? Hmmmm...

“Kawakami-sensei?”

“EPP!” She nearly squirted the entire tube of tester gloss over her lips as she was addressed from behind, a female voice from over her shoulder breaking through her internal debate on which tone suited her better.

Oh no! She’d been caught! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh-oh-oh no!

Q-Quick play it cool! Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool!

“Ah! N-no! Ahahah! I-I’m not-!” As Sadayo whipped around to face her accuser, she raised the pitch of her voice, trying to make herself sound more cutesy than usual, really playing up her Becky persona, but everything came screeching to a halt once she saw who exactly it was who was addressing her.

“K-Kurusu-chan! What are you doing here?!” She cried, raising an accusatory finger of her own.

Sadayo couldn’t believe it! Even out of school uniform, her student was unmistakable, that hair couldn’t belong to anyone else after all. The teenager stood before her, holding her own cart full of items, several black and white fluffy dresses draped over her arm.

“You’re working as a maid?” It felt like a silly question to ask, given just a simple glance at the girls basket... it was like the teenager had found a ‘Maids essentials’ guide and had gotten one of everything. A dress, a penifor, white stockings, the whole deal.

It wouldn’t be against school rules per say... Technically any student could have any job as long as it was legal but...most maid-themed jobs bordered on the no-so-legal...such as her own perhaps. And with the second year's coloured history...

Unabashadley, the sixteen year old nodded, her wavy tangled locks bouncing in time with her heads up and down movement. She got a job with hair like that? Kawakami wasn’t one to judge, her own hair had a life of its own in humidity, but she did her best to keep it under control, at the very minimum.

“I just got a part time job at Chu-Chu’s cafe,” Kurusu explained, lifting her basket for her teacher's approval. Sadayo was vaguely aware of Chu-Chu’s. It was an overly obnoxious pink and pastel themed tourist trap that was even more over the top and fluffy than the current establishment they were in. Sadayo would have applied there herself were it not so close to the school. It was certainly a more respectable position than her own, that was for sure... the teenager wouldn’t be forced to clean for dirty old men...just serve them tea and cookies. At least the younger of the two would have the protection of her fellow staff members, Kawakami was constantly going alone into strangers houses...

“And you, Sensei? Where’s your maid job?” Kurusu asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh me?!” Kawakami squeaked, as she was dragged from her thoughts once more and laughed, scratching the back of her head in what she hoped came across as an innocent but still convincing manner. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! I don’t have a maid job! What on earth would make you think that?! Ahahaha!”

“You’re in uniform. And you’re buying maid accessories.” Shit... Sadayo almost forgot about that. She hadn’t gone home to change yet. That and there was also the fact that this was Kurusu she was talking to. The girl had placed remarkably high on her tests, after all. She wasn’t stupid. “-and your name tag says ‘Becky’. And you’re wearing a wig. And-”

“Okay okay!” Sadayo hushed, sinking in defeat. She’d been caught... she didn’t need a child to rub it in her face. Time to come clean... “I...I work for a maid services part time. But you can’t tell anyone! Especially not any of the other teachers!”

“....Why?” Kurusu asked slowly, looking hesitant to make any sort of promise to her teacher. Geez come on! Can’t she catch a break!? She didn’t have time for this!

“Because that evil witch Chouno-sensei is catching onto me and I can’t afford to lose my position, okay!? Look, I’ll-I’ll do anything, alright, just don’t rat me out!” She nearly begged, slapping her hands together in a prayer like stance. She was tired, she was exhausted, and she almost couldn’t take it anymore! Sadayo was at this child’s mercy now that she really thought about it.

“...Anything?” Her student repeated, her head tilting to the side in consideration before she leaned forward. Before Sadayo could really regret her words, oh no...what did the criminal want? A permanent hall pass? The answers for all the tests? What?! Kurusu leaned forward, eyes wide as she asked excitedly, “Can you teach me how to get the wigs to fit right?!”

Wigs? Sadayo’s eyes slid behind them towards the wall of wigs that took up the entire back wall of the store, endless rows upon rows upon rows of styrofoam heads with brightly coloured and professionally styled wigs.

“I don’t want to risk bumping into any of the boys from school and having them give me a hard time.” Akiko continued, offering an explanation as to why she’d want to use such a thing in the first place, “They already ask me all kinds of gross questions...” 

“Gross questions?” Kawakami wrinkled her nose in discomfort as she repeated the girl's words. What could she possibly mean by that?

“...I-...It’s not important!” Kurusu stammered, her cheeks flushing red as she quickly raised her hands in reflexive defense. “W-Will you help me be a better maid? I promise I won’t tell anyone at school if you do!”

Well shit... Guess she had no choice now. With a heavy sigh, Sadayo took a closer look at the girls shopping cart, digging through the small collection she’d already put together. It was a decent start, but....“First off, You’re going to need to invest in a ton of wig caps, kid. Unless you plan on chopping all of that mess off.”

“Wig caps?” The utter confusion in the girl's voice had Kawakami’s stomach drop in dread. Oh no.... No no no no....

“Oh my god, we’re really going to have to start from step one, aren’t we?” She sighed. Oh boy... so much for going home and getting a good night's sleep and some wine.

\-----------------------

Finally! 

Kasumi smiled brightly to herself as she spotted that familiar messy mop of black hair before she saw the student attached to it. It had taken her nearly the whole afternoon, but she’d finally found her!

“There you are Senpai!” she cried, jogging forward with a renewed vigour. The older girl was sitting alone on a bench, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally talk with her. She needed to thank her properly for all she’d done!

“Where did the other people in your group go?” Kasumi wanted to really be able to talk with her Senpai, and it would be inconvenient if they got interrupted.

“They ditched me.” Her Senpai shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the turn of events that might have just crushed her own spirit. They ditched her? How cruel! It wasn’t as if the girl was a criminal or somethi-!...oh...oh that’s right...

“I see...” She sighed, clutching her hands in front of her uncomfortably. That...that made sense.. She supposed. After this morning, she’d nearly forgotten about that...

“I’m in pretty much the same situation myself...” She offered, taking a small step forward. It hadn’t really mattered to Kasumi, she was more concerned with tracking down her Senpai now that their clean up efforts were done for the day after all. So the fact that her group hadn’t stuck around to hang out with her meant little to the Gymnast. 

Her group hadn’t been as cruel as to ditch her, they had asked her if she wanted to come with them for lunch but...Kasumi could see the uncomfortable looks on their faces. They’d clearly only asked her out of obligation. She wasn’t sure if it was pity because they’d heard about her sister, most of the school had... or if it was disdain for her accomplishments, perhaps? It had happened before, but it was usually relegated to other gymnasts, not her classmates.

Well, Kasumi certainly didn’t need their pity, nor did she want to spend time around negative emotions. She had a competition coming up after all, and Doctor Maruki had been talking to her about positive thinking lately. It was amazing just how much one's whole outlook on life could be influenced by the emotions of those around them! Cognition was truly an incredible concept... It only made sense that a genius like Doctor Maruki was studying it.

“If it’s alright with you, why don’t we eat our soup together?” She offered, smiling brightly. Speaking of influencing others by using emotions... Kasumi put as much force as she could into ‘projecting’ happiness. It might have just been her imagination, but there had been something about the other girl’s aura? Spirit? Whatever it was called, the Raven haired girl’s ‘That’ was dripping with a loneliness that reminded Kasumi far too much of her own...

“Sure?” Kurusu agreed, tilting her head to the side as if the question had confused her more than anything, but Kasumi wasn’t going to let that hesitation stop her!

“Great! I’ll go grab our bowls!” Doctor Maruki was in charge of the rations after all and once she explained she was getting a spare bowl for a friend, he’d easily give her a second bowl for sure! 

Once they’d gotten their meals and were a few bites in, Kasumi decided to get straight to the point. There was no point in dancing around it, and she didn’t want her Senpai to think she was ungrateful or anything!

“I want to thank you again for this morning!” The words came out a little more rushed than she’d anticipated, but she needed to let the older girl know just how much she’d appreciated her help with that...that creepy guy! 

Senpai had really saved her!

\---

They were in the middle of a crowded Shibuya street, surrounded by so many people! T-There was no way he could be bold! She’d been on her way to the Clean Up event in Inokashira park when she’d remembered, with a stomach sinking twisting realization, that she’d left her gym uniform at school! Once her mistake had fully clicked in her brain she had turned around to run back to the train, but had crashed right into the grey sweater of the man that was currently refusing to let her pass.

The man’s hand tightened his grip, causing her hand to flex out of her control as he twisted her wrist closer towards him. His breath stank of vinegar and fish and it made her eyes water more than putting her contacts in in the morning did!

“C’mon babe, there’s no need to be shy.” He purred, leaning closer. God- that stench! She squished her face closed to try and block out her repulsion. 

“-L-like I said!-” She protested, trying to wrench her arm away from the middle-aged man who just wouldn’t let go! His hand gripped harder and she had to stop herself from gasping in pain. There were so many people out! W-why wasn’t anyone helping her? Desperately, Kasumi looked left and right, but the crowd was paying them no attention, thousands of faces all pointedly turned elsewhere.

“If you’re busy, let me put my number in your phone so you can call me later. We could hang out after school~” The man leered, pulling her closer and closer, despite her obvious resistance. Kasumi put her weight into her ankles and tried once again to free herself from the man’s grasp.

“S-Stop it...” She whimpered, around once again in a desperate plea that someone would intervene. Wh-what was she supposed to do? T-This man was so strong and so insistent! She couldn’t get her wrist free, and she was certain she was starting to bruise by now.

“Momo-chan! There you are!”

Momo-chan? Who was-? The voice was obviously directed towards them and presumably her in particular, but that wasn’t her name- Oh my! Kasumi had turned to look for the source of the voice and she knew that girl! It was the girl that Kamoshida-sensei had warned her about, and the one is all those nasty rumours! 

The P-p-prostitute....

The older girl was jogging towards them, dressed in her gym uniform already, the long legged red and white sweatpants and jacket combination like a beacon in the crowd of business people in black and grey suits. Her long wavy hair was flowing freely in the spring breeze behind her as the girl with the reputation came rushing to Kasumi’s side.

‘I asked for help, but not this help!’ Her mind screamed at her, panicking as the school’s most talked about girl slipped her arm around Kasumi’s own, making a pointed effort to disengage the man’s hand from her wrist, without even acknowledging him! W-What boldness! The stinky man with the receeding hair line stammered over his words, just as speechless as Kasumi was.

“I’ve been looking for you all over, you said you’d wait for me at the train!” The older continued easily, smiling brightly as she began to walk ahead, pulling the first year student with her now that they were arm in arm. Kasumi was simply too stunned to protest, effortlessly falling instep with the other girl as she was whisked away from the unpleasant confrontation. “Where’s your uniform? We have the school clean up to get to, Silly! We can’t be late!” 

“Hey! I was talking to her, you ugly bitch-!”

“Sorry, old fart,” The taller girl glanced over her shoulder at the old man behind them, giving him a dismissive wave with her free hand, twiddling her fingers in an almost mocking like gesture! T-The ghal of this girl, holy cow! “We have an event to get to, byyyyeee~!”

“Why you-!” came the growled voice from behind them and Second year student in her gym uniform pulled at her arm tightly, a hushed- ‘run!’ being muttered under her breath as the two girls took off into the crowd of people surrounding them. The girl's arm slipped down her own until their hands were grasped and the taller girl was pulling Kasumi along at a rapidly quickening pace.

J-Just how far was this man planning on chasing them!? One block down, two blocks! The road ahead forked out into two different streets and with another hushed whisper from under her breath, her unexpected savior instructed her to -‘Go right. Hide. Wait. Then go to the park.’ before releasing her hand, the cool fingertips sliding across her palms before releasing her completely and the two girls split at the fork, each running down a different row.

Yoshizawa had eventually managed to backtrack and head back to the subway and back onto the train bound for Shujin, because she needed to get her uniform. Because of this, She was more than a little late getting to Inokashira park, and just hadn’t had the time to try and find her Senpai before the clean up got into full swing.

\---

Kasumi had to convey just how much her assistance had meant to her. There was no telling what that...that Cretan! would have done. “That man was so...frightening! You were so smooth and quick thinking! I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so so so much!” 

“D-Don’t worry about that, it was the least I could do.” The bespectacled girl smiled gently. So brave and so modest too! But Kasumi wasn’t going to let the second year dismiss the depths of her appreciation so easily!

“But it’s not just that either! I need to apologize to you for the other day!” She set her food down onto the side, so that she could offer her Senpai a proper bow. “I’m so so sorry!”

“About what?” Her jaw nearly dropped at the honest confusion in the other girl's tone. Had the other student forgotten? There was just no way! Kasumi had been so rude! 

“Our run-in outside the guidance counselor's office!” She supposed that maybe saying the other day was a bit of an exaggeration... It had been while Kamoshida had still been at the school hadn’t it? Gosh, she really hadn’t meant to leave it for so long, she hoped that her Senpai wouldn’t think poorly of her...or that Kasumi thought poorly of her.

Her gut twisted uncomfortably as she had to remember that she HAD thought poorly of the older girl... Even if she was a ... a working girl, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t be a good person too! And hadn’t she placed relatively high on her exams results? Kasumi had honestly only paid attention to her own marks, but she’d heard the gossip. There were more than a few different rumors going around about who the Second year transfer student had slept with to get the answers...

“K-Kamoshida-sensai had just told me about you moments prior, so I... I sort of spoke without thinking there...I...I’ve heard some of my classmates gossiping about you too.” Kasumi did her best to explain why she’d done what she’d done. Hopefully the other girl could understand her position.

“I...I see.” Her Senpai sighed, using her chopsticks to give her soup a stir, turning her attention to her food instead of Yoshizawa. O-oh no! Kasumi, get a hold of yourself! Don’t bring up the rumors! She flinched and quickly tried to recover the conversation to a much more pleasant direction.

“I don’t like gossip or rumors or the like.” The red-head offered, getting the feeling that they might have that in common... She knew that others talked about her as well. There had been too many times she’d walked into a room and all conversation had stopped and everyone had turned to her with guilty eyes... She knew... She wasn’t stupid. “I... Forgive me if I’m out of place, but you don’t seem like the person they described.”

That got the raven haired girl's attention once more, her shockingly grey eyes peering at her from beyond the thick lenses of her glasses. They were such an unflattering shape on her face, she was practically hiding behind those old things. Kasumi was certain that she’d look better with a slimmer, sleeker frame... like Sumire’s....

Her gut twisted sharply and she quickly changed the subject, smiling brightly at her Senpai.

“You just don’t strike me as a mob boss's wife, or a fem-fetal from Korea here to spy on us, or -or-or some bank robber from mars!” She giggled, picking up her own food again, taking a sip from the bowl directly. Honestly, she didn’t even really seem like the kind of girl that Kasumi would have pictured when she tried to imagine a prostitute either but...

Her Senpai snorted into her soup at the absurdity of the last one, which in turn made Kasumi stifle her own giggle. It turned into a full blown laughter fit when the quieter of the two offered a small, but completely serious sounding- “I drive without a license too.”

“Ahahaha! Cut it out Senpai!” She laughed, nearly spilling her lunch as she giggled helplessly before something clicked in her head like a light switch.

“Oh my god! I just forgot, I’ve never introduced myself! How rude of me! I’m Yoshizawa Kasumi, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“It’s nice to meet you Yoshizawa-san. My name is Kurusu Akiko.”

Kurusu-Senpai huh? Well Kurusu-senpai, Kasumi was sorry that it was such a long time coming, but she had a feeling that the two were going to get along very well! It was a bumpy start, and really, she only had herself and her own prejudices to blame, so she’d just have to put in all the more effort to make up for it!

\--------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (~￣³￣)~ Thank you all so much for rereading/reading this for the first time!
> 
> Please consider commenting or leaving a Kudos, little known fact, but doing so helps sustain the artistic muse in all authors and creators. (◕દ◕)
> 
> Have a wonderful day everyone! I'm going to be celebrating my 29th birthday in a few days, so my birthday wish is for everyone reading this to have a really great rest of the month! 
> 
> I'd say year, but I don't think birthday magic is that strong (´-﹏-`；)
> 
> Stay happy, stay healthy and stay safe everyone! I love you all! ( ˘ ³˘)♥

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read!
> 
> If you enjoyed, please feel free to leave a kudos or a comment. I greatly appreciate both :)
> 
> (´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`) Special thanks to Anon! Our glorious beta reader!
> 
> HEY!! listen! 
> 
> (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
> 
> I am so incredibly grateful to be blessed with beautiful and amazing fan art! (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+
> 
> Marigold-memory-  
> https://the-creepy-void.tumblr.com/post/641850139733065728/okay-but-like-ive-been-following-this-great-fic
> 
> Black_Beans-  
> http://imgur.com/a/VzWdxAF
> 
> And then there's my own art, which is bleh whatever-  
> https://the-creepy-void.tumblr.com/post/641574752621887488/my-art-is-really-really-bad-if-i-werent
> 
> I drew some scenes from Chapter 16 too...
> 
> https://the-creepy-void.tumblr.com/post/642432232834908160/yusuke-and-akiko-from-chapter-16-again-awful-art
> 
> https://the-creepy-void.tumblr.com/post/642481979438383104/yusukes-vision-someone-take-my-art-supplies-from


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